


Not Another Wizarding Adventure

by nerdswillrise



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Memories, Moving On, Muggle Life, Nightmares, Post-War, Support, Supportive Draco, living as muggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-02-24 05:04:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2569163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdswillrise/pseuds/nerdswillrise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trying to move past the battle of Hogwarts, Hermione is living a quiet muggle life when that is interrupted by an equally destroyed Draco Malfoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hermione

After the battle was finally over, Hermione was overwhelmed with a variety of painful emotions. She had done her part, and now all she wanted to do was to get away from Hogwarts. The feeling had never crossed her mind before. Once the Ministry of Magic arrived at the destroyed castle, they started to set up portkies for all those who wished to get home, as many students were underage and unable to travel long distances easily by any other method. It had been a shock to many when Hermione was just about the first in line to get one. The older man who was directing everyone told her where to be in seventeen minutes to reach Melbourne, Australia, where Hermione would begin her search for the parents who didn't even remember she existed. 

She had spent the time saying a rapid goodbye to Harry, Ron, and Ginny, all of whom where against her leaving so quickly after the battle, but also understood. Ron gave her a pained look. He had just started to feel that Hermione and him had a shot at a future together, but now she was running home and she hadn't even asked him to join her. He understood to a certain point the reason for this, but at the same time he wanted nothing more than to be with her so they could mourn the loss of their friends and family together. Hermione hadn't been trying to hurt Ron by leaving, she just felt that they both had people they needed to be with. After sixteen minutes, Hermione said a final goodbye and was taken far away by a portkey disguised as a shattered and empty picture frame.

The second she landed in Australia, Hermione knew that she would be breaking the promises she had just made to her friends. She no longer had any plan of keeping in touch or coming back to England anytime soon. She lost the ability to lie to herself and began to see the true horrors of the war the instant she was far enough away from it. She may have survived the battle and have fought on the side that won, but she was no where near free from the pain it had caused. She had lost so many friends and had suffered so much, and yet she had kept fighting because she knew that if she did not, the future of the entire world would be filled with pain, death, and hate. She got over her pain for the greater good, but now without the same perseverance driving her, she couldn't help but acknowledge it. She sat in the football field where she had landed for what felt like hours, thinking of all those who had been lost, and what she had been through. Loss. Death. Torture. Pain. Horror. Murder. Clutching the picture frame as if it was the only thing keeping her alive, she slowly raised herself from the ground. All she wanted was a fresh start. Looking at the empty picture frame, she realized she could have it.

-

It had been three full months since the battle of Hogwarts. Three full months since Hermione had last seen her friends. Three full months since Hermione had any contact with the wizarding world. Three full months without her wand. And although the adjustment had seemed impossible at first, Hermione had become so used to acting like even the idea of magic was simply preposterous that life was now simple. She was living a very comfortable life in Melbourne, she was working at HMV and had an apartment just a block away from her work and two away from her parents home. She had even made a couple new friends and was considering attending university in the fall. The part of her life that had been filled with magic and danger was over, and Hermione was relieved to not have to revisit it ever again. 

-

Having gotten her coffee and woken herself up a sufficient amount, Hermione wandered into the HMV where she worked with a smile spreading across her face as she saw that today she would be working with Jasper, by far her favourite coworker. As he watched her enter, Jasper said a hearty "allo!" in his very best (but still terrible) English accent. Hermione can't help but laugh, but still forced a straight face after a minute to attempt a "good day" in an equally terrible Australian accent. They worked well together, and being around Jasper felt both simple and comfortable. After Hermione's friendship with Ron had matured into a sort of romantic relationship for an afternoon, she was being more cautious with who she kept as friends. It was incredibly clear that Ron had meant well by trying to make more of the relationship, but Hermione was only interested because she was trying to ignore the immediate threat on her life and on the lives of her two best friends. She would not be surprised if Ron was still waiting for her to return. That is why Hermione was making every relationship very structured. Every person was either a friend or a potential romantic relation, and no one would cross from one side to the other. Jasper made an excellent friend because he was engaged and after seeing the couple together, Hermione was sure that this friendship would stay just that. Friendly. Hermione felt so comfortable at work, it was like a second home. Even when she didn't have a shift, she was delighted to simply browse the films and shows and music she had never seen or heard of. Hogwarts had been incredible, but she did miss out on a lot of excellent entertainment by being there. She spent her time at HMV, home, or simply wandering the streets. Today, she was yet again deep in thought about Harry and Ron and one of their fantastic adventures. Like the year they first met Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. But now both men, who had been good friends, were dead, like so many others.

"Mione! For the fiftieth time! Stop thinking about that mysterious English life you refuse to talk about and live a little!" This was a daily comment from Jasper, Hermione was often caught thinking about the past. "What you really need to do is come out and drink! Tonight is the night!"

Hermione was about to refuse this offer with some weak excuse as she had every other time, but this time she decided to give in. Why not? She wanted to start to live a normal muggle life, and yet she spent all day thinking about wizards. Which was fair enough because she had been living with them since she was eleven. But she wanted to truly begin to move on, and that meant making new friends and sharing in new adventures, and hopefully they wouldn't involve putting her life, or anyone else's in danger. "If I go tonight will you stop asking?"

"By the Gods! I will take that as a yes!" Having drawn the attention of all the shoppers in the store, he bellowed "PEOPLE OF HMV THERE HAS BEEN A MIRACLE HERE TODAY! JUST WHEN YOU DIDN'T THINK I---" and was cut off my Hermione pressing her hand to his mouth. When she took her hand away, they had matching grins on their faces. The rest of their shifts were spent debating where they should go out and sorting out all the necessary plans. Looking back, Hermione realized that the last time she had been in a pub was in Hogsmeade right before the battle began. Her past just kept crashing into her life like waves, and Hermione knew that if she opened herself up to those memories, they would drown her. So for now she pushed them aside and tried to carry out a somewhat normal life.

-

Hermione was being careful to pace herself as she started her second pint of beer. She had to be careful because as soon as she had a bit too much to drink, her mind's response was to share every detail of every thought that popped into her head. She had no plans on explaining that she was a witch to Jasper tonight, or ever. She honestly had a good time out so far that evening, much to her surprise. Jasper was trying to get some details about Hermione's life in England, but she simply said what she always did. "It's in the past, and we don't have time for such a long story anyways. Also I'm damn sure you wouldn't believe a word of it." So Jasper eventually gave up and began to talk about his past and giving way too many unnecessary details about his fiancee and every aspect of their relationship. It was when Jasper was getting into a graphic scene again that Hermione began to look around the pub at all the faces. Some laughed with friends, others drank alone, some just wanted to be with someone, if only for a night. Hermione was always curious as to what drove each individual to that pub. It could be anything from loss of a loved one to regaining a friend, or anywhere in-between. It was truly fascinating to consider. Seeing one face in particular, she froze with her glass partway to her lips. She closed her eyes. He couldn't be here. This was her mind playing some cruel joke. Her hand began to shake as she opened her eyes, and her half-full glass came crashing down, spilling it's contents on her before shattering on the hard cement floor. 

She had to be wrong because there was no way that that particular wizard would be found in a place like this. Even her parents being muggles was enough to make him attack her with insults for the better part of six years. To see him in this setting made Hermione want to laugh. And then cry. Jasper was talking again. This time asking Hermione what was wrong and if she was okay. "I'm fine. I just know someone in here from a while back." She was speaking absentmindedly, her mind far away from the rest of her being. "Jasper can we please just get out of here? Let's move this to some other place, and then I am going to need another drink."

"As long so there is alcohol involved, we can go wherever you want!" Jasper was great to be around because he was both supportive and didn't ask too many unwelcome questions. So they got up to leave. They walked around the outside edge of the pub so they wouldn't have to go anywhere near the blonde head that was making Hermione uncomfortable. They thought they had made it out of the pub without being noticed until Hermione turned to see him staring back into her eyes before the closing door cut off their views of each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first ever fic so let me know how it is! i'm always glad to hear from anyone! I hope this is an okay start. I have a lot of plans for this so i have no idea how long it will end up. I hope it doesn't suck.


	2. Draco

Life had become hellish for Draco Malfoy after the war. There wasn't a single person in the wizarding community who didn't hate him and his family. Everyone could only see him as the boy who switched sides in the war to save his own skin and some how got away with it. While he could understand, Draco still hated the looks he got. Walking down the street in Diagon Alley led to glares, avoidance and curses. He had become so used to the jelly-legs jinx that performing the counter curse was second nature. But soon enough, Draco just began to avoid the wizarding community as much as possible. He got up early enough that he could walk around Diagon Alley while there were still very few people up. Then, as the crowds began to fill the street, he would head back to the manor, where he would avoid his mother and try to amuse himself in the unspeakably large house that simply wasn’t a home. Of course, this sort of life is not a desirable one. After two weeks of early mornings, Draco decided he would find a way to live a normal life, so he packed his trunk and committed to doing just that.

-

Draco tried to settle in to many different areas of the world. He had lived among the wizards of Germany, Peru and America before he caught on to the fact that him and his family were known globally. When he reached a new place, he would often last a couple of days before people were able to recognize him as the infamous traitor Draco Malfoy. It was this that pushed Draco to do something unimaginable for him. He turned to the muggle world. 

He always kept his wand in his pocket at first as he began to walk among the new population. He was baffled by everything. He had never taken muggle studies at Hogwarts. He could not comprehend the way they lived or the technology they used. They had telephones and internet and computers that knew everything. Soon enough, he began to travel and learn. His attention was drawn to one new technology in particular. The thing muggles called television. 

It had taken him hours to learn to control the mysterious box, but once he did, he could only marvel at what he found. He spent hours watching everything from sports to reality shows to drama. He sat in his hotel rooms with nothing but some cheap food and his tv and he was content. He was still rather confused by the technology, but it was enjoyable. His struggles seemed alright compared to some of those he witnessed through the screen.

As he sat watching a show he had come to watch regularly, Doctor Who, he began to want to watch the show from the beginning. He had seen episodes from throughout the show and frankly, they were brilliant. That is what brought him into HMV for the first time. It was a store that quickly became his favourite, his retreat.

As he entered the store, he was astonished by the number of shows and movies before his eyes. He began to browse and read the back of dozens of films, all of which fascinated him. By the time he left the store an hour later, he had a massive pile entertainment, including the first season of the modern Doctor Who, starting from the ninth doctor (although Draco didn’t have the slightest idea as to what that meant, the guy at the store had insisted that it was the best place for him to start). That stock of shows that would continue to grow and his wand were the only possessions that Draco cared about bring with him as he traveled wherever he wanted. They were a source of comfort and amusement. 

-

So he ended up in Australia. He had traveled to so many places in the past months that he had lost track of where he had been. He learned to get used to the muggles and saw some of the most famous tourist destinations. He got into Melbourne fairly late, and decided to get a beer before going to his hotel. As he sat at the bar with drink in hand he looked up. He saw the figure with that familiar frizzy brown hair and couldn’t help but stare. It couldn’t be her. Of course not. But as she turned, she caught his eye. Granger. But it couldn’t be. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he looked back, she was gone. 

The next morning, Draco did what he always did when he got to a new city. He got a quick breakfast and then walked around until he found an HMV. His passion for that store was unmatchable. He enjoyed going in the mornings because the store was almost always empty with one or two people working who were always more than happy to make recommendations or talk about some movie he had recently watched. These conversations were just about the only ones he had. Traveling on his own had been lonely for Draco. So he entered the HMV. And he froze for a minute, blinking in disbelief. He stood in the door and his legs forbade him from moving. 

She still hadn’t looked up as she said “Welcome! We never get anyone in here this early. Let me know if you need anything.”

Her voice was exactly as he remembered it. “Um…. Thank you….” he wasn’t sure if he should go talk to her or make a run for it, but the decision was made for him. Hermione had looked up and was now backing away from Draco. She had paled, as if she had seen a ghost. Draco was mostly just confused about what she was doing working at an HMV in Melbourne. He had just figured that she would be celebrating victory with Ron in England and be on her way to having many children or something. It didn’t add up. 

They stayed staring at each other like that for a long time, until someone came in the door behind Draco and started saying hello to Granger. Draco recognized him as the guy who Hermione was at the bar with. Granger still hadn’t said a word since she had first greeted Draco. That guy was waving his hand in front her face, and then saw Draco who she had been staring at. 

“Um… Mione… is that the guy we ran away from at the bar?” He asked just loud enough to have Draco hear. Hermione nodded her head slowly. “Do you want me to get rid of him?” Hermione didn’t respond. “Who is he?”

Finally, Draco was able to force himself to move forward. Hermione was frozen, but Jasper moved forward protectively. “I’m Draco. Draco Malfoy. I used to know Hermione from school. It seems like so long ago.”

Hermione spoke softly “What do you want Malfoy? You should know you are the last person I want to see from that school.”

Jasper, who was still standing between the two of them looked both intrigued and slightly worried. It seemed clear that he had not heard much, if anything of Granger’s past. Draco realized that she must have been living among the muggles just as he had been. “Can we talk?” Draco asked slowly. again Hermione just gave him a slight nod, and they walked away from Jasper.

“I don’t know where to start this conversation. How are you I guess? And why are you living here? Are you using your magic? What about everyone else? Does anyone know where you are? Who is that guy over there? Where are-” Hermione cut him off with a wave of her hand. Draco had begun to talk faster and faster. He had so many questions. 

Her reply was slow and well thought out. “You are the first wizard I have seen since the end of the war. I left for here right away, and I have no intention of going back. I also have no plan to use magic again. God knows it has only caused me pain.” Tears where beginning to pool in her eyes. 

Draco sighed. “It been hard on all of us.” At this Hermione actually laughed.

“Oh I can only imagine!” she said sarcastically, fighting to keep her voice low, "You who just happened to be found on the right side of the battle every step of the way! No jail time either! That must be nice. Everyone you love got to live! Your friends, your family. What are you doing here? Come to poke fun at the girl who can’t face her remaining friends because they just remind her of all those she lost? Is this fun for you, watching me break down over all the people who I will never see again? What about my parents? You must find it hysterical when I walk past them in the street and they don’t have the slightest idea who I am. Well I’m glad you’re fucking amused. Now please leave me to live my life the way I choose.” By this point, Hermione was crying openly.

“Not everyone… I’ve lost…. Crabbe…. I’m sorry” Draco then hurried from the shop feeling terrible and wanting nothing more than to go home and find a way to apologies to Granger for all he had done. Deep down he knew that it would’t be possible, he had done so much wrong. So much that she hadn’t even covered when she had started to cry in front of him. He wanted to help her. He spent a large portion of the day walking aimlessly around, feeling lost. Soon enough he was lost. He didn’t care though. Why should he? It wasn’t like anyone would care if he never made it back to his hotel. 

Granger had been wrong. He had lost people. He had lost everyone. Just not in the same way she had. He was dead to them, hated by all. That’s why he could spend his time traveling undisturbed. Not because his loved ones were dead, but because they wouldn’t even flinch if they heard that he were gone forever. That is why he had been gone for months and no one had bothered to look for him. No one likes a traitor. No one looks to comfort the guy who has turned his back on them.

But why was no one looking for her? There should be someone who knows what she has been through to help her out.

When he eventually got back to the hotel, he swore that he would go see her again, and try to right some of his wrongs. And thats exactly what he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I'm slow to update, I have been working on a cosplay and its awesome has taken over my life. Please let me know what you think! I will try and post more often!


	3. Hermione

Hermione was absolutely done with everything in her life by the end of the next day. She was tired and grumpy. Everyone who had walked into HMV had been obnoxious and had asked stupid questions. Even he coworkers. She had an early shift and was done at around four in the afternoon, and all she wanted was a strong drink. Her mind was trying to map out the nearest out as she tried to get away from her place of work. And then she saw the one face she couldn’t deal with.

Hermione turned and sprinted down the street as fast as she could. Not fast enough though. Malfoy had hold of her arm within less than a block.

“Stop. Please Granger. Just stop.”

“What the hell do you want from me? You did enough damage yesterday. I think I made it clear that I didn’t want to see you. WHAT DO YOU WANT?” She was panicked and angry and didn’t understand why the blonde was there.

Draco didn’t respond right away. Still with her arm in his hand, Malfoy sat down on a bench close by, dragging Hermione down onto it with him. “I have no idea what I am doing here. I just know that you looked like you needed… I don’t know…. Someone…. Something…. Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

“Why”

“Because I can’t do it!”

Malfoy let his hand drop. “Can’t do what?”

“I can’t live that ridiculous life anymore. I am sick and tired of seeing people die and tortured and in pain. Can’t you get that?”

“Yes. Yes actually I can. Would you consider getting a tea with me?” Hermione flinched. She wanted to get as far away from Malfoy as she could. This conversation had been too long already.

“No.”

“Look, I am not the kind of guy who gives up just because you say no. I will get you to say yes. You are the first wizard I have seen in months. I haven’t been able to talk about anything real in months. By the looks of it, you haven’t either. Go to one coffee shop with me, and if you don’t want to talk to me ever again after that, then I will leave the city. Hell, I will leave the country! Just give me one conversation with someone who knows the things we have been through.”

“And if I say no? What then?”

Malfoy gave her that classic Malfoy grin. “I will be at the door of you work place everyday until you agree.” 

Hesitantly, Hermione nodded. “Fine. One tea. And, I get to leave after half an hour if I want to. Not today though.” She felt like she needed something much stronger than tea, especially after what she was agreeing to. “Tomorrow, be here at five, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan Granger.”

-

Hermione had faced many things in her life. But as she walked out of work at five on the next day, she would have been glad to face any of them to avoid Draco Malfoy. Including the three headed dog. And the army of dementors. But she wanted to rid herself of the pureblood once and for all, so she walked out with her head high, towards the bench where the Slytherin was sitting uncomfortably. 

“Alright Malfoy. Let’s get this over with. We can go to the coffee shop a block from here. It is the best one I know.”

Malfoy smirked. “Nice to see you too, Granger.”

They walked down the street with a good distance and a lot of awkwardness between them. Once they arrived, Hermione chatted with the people who worked there, with whom she had grown quite close to over the months. She kept herself busy for many minutes. Malfoy sat awkwardly at a table and waited for Hermione to join him. Reluctantly, she did.

“Just so you know,” Malfoy sneered, “Your half hour starts now. Don’t try to trick your way out of it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Ya, one more rule: no bullshit. We can ask each other whatever, and your answer has to be the truth. You can start.”

Hermione was visibly confused. “Wait, so is this like an interrogation? Like I ask you a bunch of personal and random questions and then we swap? That isn’t a conversation.”

“Ya but the odds of us having a decent conversation without some type of format are not exactly high. I will even give you the courtesy of asking the first five questions.”

“Okay then. Why did you want to meet today?”

Malfoy shrugged. “I was intrigued, I guess. I don’t understand why you are living here on your own in the muggle world. You won the war. You should be living a happy life right about now.”

Hermione nodded, and didn’t feel the need to give much of a reply. “You seem different. Less like an evil demon-spawn. What changed?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mudblood, would you rather I treat you like this?”

“I guess not, but what changed you?”

Malfoy hesitated. He wasn’t even completely sure himself. “I started living with muggles a couple months ago and began to see that they can actually be clever. The idea of two muggles having a wizard child seems less repulsive and more miraculous to me now.”

Hermione grinned. “Well, that is a new development! Why did you come into my store three days ago?”

“I always go to HMV. It is what has kept me sane to some level. I love finding a new show and watching seasons of it in a day or over a weekend.”

Hermione was smiling openly at that point. “Final question for round one: what is your favourite show so far?”

“Obviously Doctor Who!” Hermione could not argue. “My turn,” Draco began, “Why Australia?”

Hermione almost flinched at the question. “This is where I sent my parents, after I removed their memories of me.”

Draco nodded and kept a straight face. “Why can’t they remember you Granger? The war ended months ago.”

At this, Hermione put her head in her hands and shielded her eyes. Malfoy would not get to see her cry again. She fought off the tears and slowly began, lowering her hands to the table. “I took away my parents memories of me during the war and sent them here. To keep them safe. But I didn’t know that when you use Obliviate, you have to leave a trace of a memory behind if you want the person to be able to regain those memories. Even having my face as one person in a crowd would have been enough. I didn’t know and I wanted to be careful. So I removed myself from any of their thoughts or memories. The ministry is doing research.” She shrugged, trying to make it look like it was of little importance, which, of course, was not the case. “Maybe someday I will get them back.”

Malfoy was shocked. She was being so strong and dealing with this on her own. In that moment, he couldn’t help but admire her strength. “I’m sorry. That’s shit. Why did you stay?”

Hermione had gotten a hold of her emotions by this point. “I like the simplicity. I’m sure I’ll go back at some point, but I don’t think they would get it. I feel destroyed, and I didn’t lose nearly as much as others did. I have no right to be this broken. I will go back once I am less broken.”

“You are not broken. Clearly not. Even if you were, you have every right to feel that way! You have been through hell, you are aloud to have feelings about that! But why haven’t they come looking for you? Isn’t that how your band of Gryffindors works?”

Hermione shrugged again, and began to chew her bottom lip. “I asked them not to. I set up wards preventing Apparition and Portkeys and Floo Powder in the area. They don’t know where I am exactly. They could find me if they wanted to, but we aren’ I still get their owls. I figure they will come eventually.”

Malfoy didn’t know what to say or how to respond. She had been through so much and was so alone. They should have followed her! They should have been at her side when she didn’t return right away. 

He didn’t want to ask the next question, for fear of the answer. “Can we do this again some time?”

Hermione considered. Malfoy was hardly the wizard she wanted to talk to, but at least she got to talk to someone. She hadn’t been able to share her past with anyone, and Malfoy had been remarkably accepting. He didn’t comment or judge her. In all honesty, she hardly recognized the boy in front of her. He was confusing her, yet she dared to nod. “Same time tomorrow?”

“Sure thing Granger!”

-

“Wait, so you are seeing the guy who made you cry for coffee? Again?” Jasper had been interrogating Hermione since she told him her plans for after work.

She sighed. “Yes, for the fiftieth time Jasper!”

He looked concerned, as if he thought that Malfoy was forcing her to meet him. Hermione had actually been getting excited to talk to Malfoy again. As much as her past was painful to think about, talking about it was refreshing. 

“I’m glad you can talk to someone about what you have been through. It’s clear that you have been through a lot.”

Hermione made a face. “How do you mean?”

“Mione, you moved to Australia from England and refuse to say anything about your past. I don’t push the topic, but it is clear that you have been through something” Hermione looked like she was about to say something, but he continued. “You don’t have to talk to me about it, I just want you to be able to talk to someone. If this Malfoy guy can be there for you, I’m happy.” 

Hermione smiled, both because she had Malfoy, and because Jasper was an amazing friend. When she left work, she had a broad smile on her face. Malfoy was sitting on the same bench as he had been earlier, and he noticed right away. 

“Why so smiley Granger?” he asked through a grin.

“I may sound completely mad when I say this, but talking to you yesterday was… really nice.” Both were rather happy as they walked to the same coffee shop, and they each got a drink. Hermione sipped her drink. “Let’s aim for conversation instead of interrogation today. How was your day?”

Malfoy blinked in surprise. Hermione was pleasant and happy and was showing these emotions towards him. Weird. But he decided to go with it. “My day was… uneventful. I watched some television and then just explored the city. It’s weird. I am still not used to living in peace.”

Hermione nodded. “Me neither. And the fact that none of the muggles have any idea that anything happened. There was a war and no one knows that it happened.”

“That’s why I spend my time in their world, and away from the wizards. Because of their ignorance.”

“Me too. I don’t want to be reminded of all that happened.”

They sipped their teas at the same time, both understanding each other. They sat and talked about their lives since the war until they finished their drinks. Then Malfoy got up, and got them both a second drink. When those were also done, Hermione couldn’t hide her surprise. They had been having a real conversation for over an hour! Sure, they hadn’t talked about some of the more difficult topics, but they had spoken without either of them even wanting to leave! It seemed miraculous. 

“Thank you, Malfoy.”

“What could I have possibly done to have you thank me?”

“I didn’t realize how much I missed this.” She sighed and tried to figure out what she was trying to say. “It seems like every conversation since the war has been fake, but this one isn’t, somehow. Even before the battle was over, I was lying to myself and to those around me. It’s nice to be me.”

Malfoy grinned. “I know what you mean.” 

-

Two weeks after their first coffee, Hermione had spoken to Malfoy just about everyday. Draco, in turn, had stayed in a city for the longest period of time ever since he had started to travel. They didn’t talk about the war, because that involved too many painful memories for both of them. Instead they spoke of their childhood days and what they had been doing since the war. It was liberating and helpful to both of them, because they were both alone. They were both surrounded by people who didn’t understand what they were feeling and going through, and, although their situations were different, those similarities made them grow closer together. 

The idea of them becoming friendly frankly terrified Hermione to an extreme extent. Every night she would think about how she wanted to hate Malfoy, after all he had done to her throughout the years. He had been her worst bully, called her filthy names on a daily basis, let the enemy into Hogwarts and tried to kill her idol. But worst of all, he had stood on the sidelines as she had been tortured by his aunt. He didn’t stop it or fight it. He just let her be tortured. That’s why she hated the idea of being closer to Malfoy. Because of that memory. He didn’t fight back.

Could people change? Hermione had never thought so, not really, but as she thought about Draco Malfoy, she hoped that he was the exception to that rule. Because he was helping her, in so many ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years! have a fantastic day, you miraculous human* being! 
> 
> *if you are not human, sorry, but mostly I am just impressed that you can read, and that you chose to read this of all things. Please have a fantastic day, and contact me so we can be best friends!
> 
> Happy Shipping!


	4. Draco

Draco sat bored in his hotel room. He didn’t have much to fill his time with, and by far the best part of his was when he got to see Granger. He wandered around town and saw all the tourist attractions, but in reality, the only reason he was staying was because of her. 

They were walking on one particular day through a park. It was cloudy, and soon began to rain lightly. Hermione smiled up at the sky. It reminded her of her home. But soon enough, there was an all out downpour over the pair of them.

Hermione laughed. “Alright, I figure if we run, we can make it to my place before we are completely soaked! GO!” She grabbed Malfoy’s hand before he knew what she was doing, and they ran.

When Hermione entered the door to her building, Draco was surprised. He had walked passed it on a daily basis. Mostly, he was too relieved to be out of the rain to think about what was happening. He was heading up to the place where Hermione lived. Wasn’t that an invasion of privacy? He hesitated when Hermione opened the door to her flat.

She noticed. “It’s fine, Malfoy. Please come in. I’ll get us some towels.”

Draco was not all that surprised by what he could see in the flat. It was small and cozy. Books were nearly everywhere, and where there wasn’t a stack of books, there was a stack of TV shows or movies. It was filled with works of fiction, and it was comfortable. Draco liked it.

Hermione handed him a towel as he looked over some of the tittles that could be found on her bookshelf. Then he came across something he couldn’t understand.

“What’s this?” he asked, motioning to the broken and empty picture frame Hermione had saved.

“Oh, just the portkey that brought me here.”

“Why do you have it?”

She shrugged. “It’s a memory I guess. I just don’t have anything to put in it. It’s not deep or symbolic or anything.”

Draco nodded and joined her on the couch. As soon as he sat down, she stood up. Then she went over to her collection of shows.

“Who’s your doctor Malfoy?”

That seemed like an odd question. “I haven’t seen a doctor in ages. Is this meant to be a personal question?”

She laughed. “No! Your favourite doctor from Doctor Who?”

“Oh!” Draco grinned, now feeling completely embarrassed and going red. “David Tennant. Obviously.” 

“Agreed.” Hermione went to work. Opening boxes, putting away disks, pressing various buttons and finally turning on the TV. She then headed to the kitchen, and soon enough, she was joining him on the couch once again and handing him a steaming cup of tea. It was heavenly. They spent the afternoon watching old episodes of Doctor Who, wrapped in towels. Both were perfectly content.

“Would you like to stay for supper?” Hermione asked timidly.

Malfoy seriously considered saying no and heading home, but the idea of having a meal with someone else was just too enticing, so he agreed. Hermione got to work and refused all assistance that Malfoy offered. Malfoy couldn’t help but be impressed by how she was cooking so incredibly, all without magic. 

Hermione produced a meal of delicious salmon and potatoes that she served with a sauce that, in Draco’s opinion, had no equal. They drank wine, and the evening was perfect. They still weren’t always completely comfortable in conversation, but everyday, their relationship was improving. 

When the wine was gone, Draco did the thing he had been meaning to do for weeks. He took Hermione’s hand in his own and looked into her beautiful brown eyes. She was giving him a confused look and was fighting the impulse to remove her hand from his.

“Hermione. I am sorry.” He hoped that his expression showed just what he was apologizing for, but he wanted to be sure. He took a breath. “For what I did and also what I didn’t do during the war and before that. You didn’t deserve any of it. I am so so—“

“Draco, you don’t have to—“

“Yes, I do. Because you deserve to hear this. I should have done more. Sometimes you have to do what’s right, and damn the consequences. I only wish I had realized that sooner.” 

Hermione looked back into his eyes. So grey and so bold. She knew that she had meant what he had said. Every word. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “That means a lot to me. I’m… Glad you are here… It’s been nice.”

Draco noticed that she had had tears pooling in her eyes, but chose to ignore them. Then, in one swift motion, Hermione freed her hands, turned away, and began to wipe her eyes. Draco got up and walked towards her, but Hermione tried to dodge him.

“Hermione please. You don’t have to turn away. You don’t have to hide your emotions from me. Please don’t.” Hermione let him approach, and then wrap an arm around her. She felt him turn her so that she was facing him. Then, Draco pulled her against him. At first it was incredibly awkward, but then Hermione gave in and let her body relax. Soon they were hugging.

Hermione rested her head on Draco’s shoulder, letting herself feel all the emotions she had prevented herself from having for months. She cried openly and soaked Draco’s shirt. He had his face pressed into her hair and was stroking her back. He spoke to her softly and soothingly. By the time they broke apart, neither of them could tell if it had been minutes or hours, but neither of them cared. Hermione was the first to speak.

“I’m sorry for that—“

“Fucking hell Granger! Stop doing that! you are allowed to have emotions! Don’t apologize for them! Not ever! Not to me or anyone else! You have been through more than most people ever will, so don’t you dare apologize. You are human and you have feelings. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel bad for having a heart.”

She smirked. “I don’t know how you manage to make me feel better even when you are yelling at me. You just make me feel like I can be me. How do you do that?”

“I guess I just like who you are and don’t want that to change.”

“Well, I like the changed you, Malfoy.”

Deciding to break the tension that had risen in the room, Draco said, “I say we have more wine and watch some more TV. Thoughts?”

And that’s what they did. Eventually, both of them fell asleep on the couch. Despite being away from home and not a huge comfortable bed, Draco had his best sleep in months.

-

A couple days later, Hermione was at Draco’s hotel, waiting for the blonde to finish checking out of his room. Hermione had a spare room at her place, and had decided to offer it to Malfoy. Originally, he had refused. He had accepted under the condition that he would pay rent. It felt wrong to just live in a place that she was working hard to keep as her own.

A couple hours after he had moved in his one small trunk and had set up his collection of shows, he emerged from his room wearing a grey dress shirt and some black dress pants.

“Well, Granger, how do I look?”

Hermione looked up from a letter she was reading on the couch. “Remarkably classy. What’s with the new look?”

“I have a job interview! God I wish my father could see this! A Malfoy going for a job interview dressed like this, applying for a muggle job!” Draco laughed, and Hermione joined him soon enough. 

As he turned to walk out the door, she exclaimed “Good luck!” before returning to the letter she was reading. As he walked out of the flat, he turned back to see her rip the note into many pieces. He would ask her about that later. 

When he walked out of the coffee shop where Hermione and he had first had a conversation, he felt the interview had gone well. He was particularly proud of himself for what he had achieved in even trying to get a job. Until that point, he had relied entirely upon his parents to survive. Now, that was changing and it felt bloody outstanding!

It wasn’t that Draco didn’t like his parents, but he didn’t like the power they could use to manipulate him. By trying to cut himself off, he was reclaiming some of that power. He got the job just hours after he had gone in for the interview. 

When he told Hermione, she left for the kitchen and returned with a bottle of wine. “I don’t have any champagne. But we have to celebrate! Congratulations!”

She poured them each a glass and they clinked then together.

“Thanks dear! I guess I’ll be staying around for a bit. Soon enough you will be begging me to leave!” 

Hermione muttered something so quietly that he did not hear her, even though they were standing quite close to each other.

“What was that Granger?”

She took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for what she was about to say. “Having you around… It has been… Well, quite frankly, it has helped me… More than I care to admit. I am actually relieved to know that you will be staying here for the next little bit.”

Draco was shocked. He had never been told anything like what Hermione had just told him. He had never “helped” anyone before, other than his demanding parents. He had absolutely no idea how to respond so he just set down his wine glass and gave Hermione a hug. Then, he uttered a near-silent “Thank you” in her ear.

-

After his first ever shift, Draco was tired, grumpy and was in the process of questioning each and every one of his life choices. It was called work for a reason. It was difficult!

Hermione got home shortly after he did. “How was it?” she asked him on her way in.

He grunted in response. 

He waited a couple minutes before deciding to investigate what he saw from Hermione the day before. 

“Hey Hermione?”

“Hmm”

“What was that letter you ripped up yesterday?”

This caught her attention. “That is none of your business Malfoy.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Because why?” He was not going to give up that easily.

“Because not every aspect of my life is up for your dissection!” She was clearly getting very angry about this. “Some things are personal. And I want to keep them that way.”

Draco knew he should have just let the issue rest, but he couldn’t help himself. “Come on Granger. You can tell me. It’s not like you have anyone else you could turn to, because all of your friends let you run away and didn’t care enough to follow!” 

Hermione stood up, looking wounded. “Fuck you Malfoy. And I thought you had changed. What a classically stupid mistake. Maybe this is why I don’t want to tell you everything.” She turned away from him, hiding the tears she was fighting to hold back.

He had gone too far. He knew it the second the words were out of his mouth. He had not meant them, but he knew perfectly well that that was no excuse. He was sorry, so so sorry for what he had said, but he had no idea how to apologize for his outburst.

“Granger, I am so sorry. Please look at me. Please. I didn’t mean it.”

“Then why did you say it Malfoy?” Hermione’s voice was slightly uneven. “Of course you meant it! Everything you said was true.”

“But it wasn’t! It was—“

“It was harshly put, but you and I both know it’s true. I’m going to bed now. Good night Malfoy.” Her words were kind, but her expression was not.

“Hermione please just LISTEN TO ME!” Draco was yelling, and Hermione froze on instinct. Draco walked up to her and walked around her so that she was facing him. He placed his hands on her shoulders, but Hermione turned her head so that she was not forced to look at him.

Draco could see a single tear escaping her eye. He took her face between his hands and forced her to look at him. He ran his thumb over her cheekbone to wipe away the tear. 

He spoke very gently. “Hermione. You have never been and never will be alone. You are loved. By so many. So many who would drop everything if you gave them the slightest sign that you wanted them to be here. That is the truth.”

Hermione looked into the eyes she had once seen as cold, but now saw nothing but comfort. “Not quite.” She smiled weakly. 

Draco opened his arms to her, and Hermione hesitate only briefly, before she allowed herself to be wrapped in his arms. This ended quickly, and Hermione went directly to her room. Draco tried to overlook the fact that she had been wiping her eyes as she headed away from him. He did nothing to stop her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my second fanfic and first multi-chapter attempt so please let me know what your thoughts are! I would really really love to know what you think or how I might improve.


	5. Hermione

Hermione had received exactly three letters a week since she got to Melbourne. She would get one from Ron (saying how he loved her and was waiting for her), one from Harry (making sure she was alright), and one from Ginny (panicking about her wedding plans and asking Hermione to be home for it). She read them all, but never kept them or replied. She hated Ron’s the most.

-

My dearest Hermione,

I know you need your time, but you should spend it home with us. I need you. I miss you. I will wait for you no matter how long it takes. You are the love of my life and always will be. I know you never reply, but give me sign that you love me back? 

Yours forever,

Ron

-

It made Hermione sick! Every line of it! She knew that Ron had liked her for quite some time, but they had only kissed a couple of times. And that was because they were in a war! He shouldn’t be waiting for her, it had been months since they had seen each other. And every letter had been along the same lines. So she ripped it up and moved on.

-

Hermione sat on the couch, wrapped in a warm blanket and reading a new novel. Malfoy wasn’t back yet, but he had made plans with his new coworkers and would be going to a pub after work. Hermione hadn’t intended to stay up until he got home, but she was reading a book she couldn’t put down.

The door opened with a bang when Malfoy stumbled in. He swayed into the kitchen and then, on the way to his room, he saw Hermione.

He yelped. “Hermione! What in the bloody hell are you doing in my place!” He was slugging his words heavily.

“My place actually. How much did you have to drink?” She asked as he nearly fell over for about the third time.

He was about to reply when instead he actually did fall over. Hermione rushed over to him and got him to his feet. Then, she dragged him to his room and let him collapse on the bed. “Malfoy will you be okay here?”

He smiled. “You’re nice. I used to haaaate you and your stuuuuupid friends. But……… looking baaaaaack I don’t know why. You are so nice.” He was drunk and drowsy and about to pass out. “Why don’t you hate me? You should hate me.”

“I don’t hate you. I don’t think I ever did.”

“Yes, okay, yes, but uuuuuum… Why? I’m not very um…”

It was clear that Draco wouldn’t be finishing that sentence. Hermione offered, “Nice?”

“Exactly!” he exclaimed, all of a sudden very excited. “I am like such an asshole. All the time. No wonder no one cares about me. I am just too… cruel? Is that the right word? Maybe that’s a bit harsh, but hey! I have been called worse.” Draco was starting to ramble. He was also growing more and more upset. He hadn’t spoken much about who he left behind, neither of them had. 

“Shh Draco. We can talk about it tomorrow. You just rest okay?”

“Mmhm.”

Hermione left his room for about a minute, but when she returned with a glass of water and two aspirins to leave at his bed side, he was already asleep. He looked so calm and his face was more relaxed than she had ever seen it. She wished she could see him like this more often

-

Draco woke with a banging head to the sounds of Hermione doing something in the kitchen. When Hermione saw him dragging himself out of his room, she couldn’t help but smile. 

“Mourning sunshine!” She said loudly before slamming a cupboard much louder than she had to, and then laughing as he flinched at the noises and the light. He sat down at their table and put his head down on the table. He was about to start complaining about Hermione’s absurd noises, when she plopped a plait of food in front of him. 

“Last time this happened you ate a massive meal, but I thought you could use a hand today. So I made eggs, bacon, fried tomatoes, hash browns, and coffee.” 

He lifted his head, looked at the dish, and smiled.”You, Hermione Granger, are a goddess.” He then ate the entire meal more quickly than Hermione had thought possible. He smiled and looked at her. “Thank you.”

“No problem, just don’t expect this every time. I have to get to work. Good luck with that head of yours.” She then almost bolted from the apartment. She didn’t even have a shift!

She just kept thinking about what Malfoy had said.

Why don’t you hate me? You should hate me.

Why was she not yelling at Draco every five minutes? Had she gone insane? This was the guy who had caused her so much grief and annoyance for years. And she thought he looked fucking peaceful. She noticed his post-hangover eating habits and made him fucking breakfast! It was absolutely ridiculous. It was wrong and it had to stop. He was still just the prat from school. Nothing had changed.

But hadn’t he? He hadn’t called her mudblood since that one day at the cafe when he said it to make a point. He lived among muggles and had a job! Surely he wasn’t still the prat she knew from school. And it’s not like he had much choice over any of his actions during the war. She knew all this, and yet didn’t want to be feeling the way she was beginning to fear she would. She couldn’t even explain her hesitation.

But then she could. Her best friends would hate her forever. She knew exactly what Harry and Ron would say.

“What is wrong with you?”

“Have you forgotten what he did?”

“Is he using the imperius curse on you?”

“Have you gone mad?”

“How could you do this to us?”

And then they would shun her and probably attack, torture and kill Draco. Well maybe not, but she knew that they would never accept him. But Hermione couldn’t help it. It was a problem. 

Was it?

-

Hermione got back home an hour or so later. She had been crying, ripping her hair out, and having a massive internal debate. She felt like she had been hit by a brick wall of emotions that had been under construction inside of her since the day she first saw Draco in that bar. It hit her all at once, and she was worried it would break her. 

She was greeted by Draco, who was lounging on the couch.

“Come on Granger! If you’re going to run away, at least do me the courtesy of using a decent excuse! Why did you— are you okay?” The concern that grew in his voice made Hermione feel worse. 

“I’m peachy!” she said sarcastically as she headed for her room. Much to her annoyance, Draco fallowed her. When she tried to slam her door in his face, he caught it, and entered her room.

“What is it? What did I do? Was it something I did last night? This morning? Did I not say thanks for breakfast? I meant to.”

“DAMN IT MALFOY! STOP ACTING LIKE YOU CARE!” She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the look of hurt that spread across Draco’s face. “Sorry. I know that you do care, it’s just a lot, you know? I mean here you are comforting the lost girl and being so nice, but I know I should hate you. After everything you did. But then you didn’t really do anything. You didn’t kill anyone and you would have died if you had done anything differently. So maybe it’s okay that I— But then there’s Ron. He tells me every week how much he loves me and how he is waiting for me. I should feel happy and comforted. But I just don’t feel that. Most of the time it makes me want to hurl. And I know everyone wants me to be with him. He is kind and brave and he was with me through so much, but he just isn’t…” She took a deep breath and sat down on the bed.

Draco spoke more gently than Hermione was used to, “What isn’t he?”

Hermione shook her head. “Please leave me alone.”

He sat down beside her, and she flinched away, already struggling to fight off tears. “No.”

Hermione tried to argue, but she knew he was the only source of comfort she had. She lay down on the bed and rested her head on one of the pillows. She then tapped the empty spot on the bed more harshly than was necessary, giving Draco permission to join her. He flopped unceremoniously onto her bed and they both stared up at the ceiling.

Neither could explain the comfort that rested between them, but both felt a sense of peace. Despite the early hour, Hermione was drifting off to sleep, when she felt the weight on the mattress shift, as Draco left her alone.

-

“You are lying, filthy Mudblood!” Bellatrix screamed at her. The pain was too much to bear, but she knew that she had to protect Harry. So she fought. “CRUCIO!” The edges of her visions were becoming black, she craved nothing more than to be free from the pain, for the blackness to claim her.

The screaming didn’t stop. She couldn’t tell if it was her own voice anymore. She could hear Ron shouting her name from the cellar. She wanted the pain to stop. 

Faces looked down at her, non of them helping her. The pale and pointed face was the only one showing any signs of concern. As he stood there. And looked at her. Not moving. Not helping. Just standing. Then there was more screaming. More pain. Too much pain.

-

Hermione was being shaken awake by Draco. “Wake up! It is just a dream. It is okay. Hermione wake up! It’s okay! It isn’t real.”

She began to shake as she woke up fully. “It was real.” She shied away from Draco, his current look of concern reminding her too much of how he had done nothing. 

“You were screaming bloody murder in your sleep. What were you dreaming about?”

Hermione took a deep breath. She had that dream so many nights, but this time had been worse. Not that she would ever explain that to Malfoy. “Just the usual nightmare. The day———— at the manor.”

Draco’s face darkened, as it flooded with guilt. “Oh. I’m — so— Merlin! I am so sorry — that happened… I am so sorry.”

“Draco! It’s—“

“Don’t you dare say it’s fine. I just stood there while you were tortured. I saw it all. I didn’t do anything to stop it.”

Hermione inched towards him hesitantly. “And what would have happened if you had done anything differently? Who else would have been tortured and killed? You? Your mother? Your father? You did not have a choice. You shouldn’t feel guilt for protecting those you love. Don’t apologize.”

“But I just stood there. In silence. How you can even stand to be near me is something I will never comprehend. How can you let me live with you? You can’t possibly be comfortable with me here.”

Hermione looked at Draco, before reaching for his hand. “Draco Malfoy, I understand this about as much as you do. I know I should hate and fear you, but I just don’t. Please just stay.”

He spoke so softly that Hermione almost didn’t hear him. “If that’s what you want.”

Still holding his hand, Hermione allowed herself to relax against Draco, using his chest as a pillow as he ran his long fingers through her tangled mess of hair. 

“Draco?”

“Hmm?”

“It’s better with you here. It just helps, you know?”

He sighed, and Hermione felt his chest rise and fall with the breath. “Surprisingly I do Granger. Now go to sleep. You need it.”

“Please stay.” Hermione’s voice sounded weaker than usual. It sounded foreign to Draco. Hermione Granger was many things, but vulnerable was not one of them.

“Don’t worry Granger, you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are enjoying this. Heads up! the next chapter will probably not include many (or maybe any?) Dramione moments, but alas, having a plot is necessary. Just so you know. If you have read up to this point: Thank you! I really hope you are liking it as much as I have liked stressing over it! Also all the bits I had in italics have decided to just not cooperate. help?


	6. Harry

To Harry, life since the war was incredibly strange. He hardly knew what to do with himself. He did not know what to do when he wasn’t fighting Voldemort. However, everyone he saw in the wizarding world somehow expected him to have a great life plan. 

He had been staying at the Burrow since the war, and he often escaped to Grimmauld Place when things were getting to be too much. Ron and George were trying to put on fake smiles and working at Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Ginny was getting ready to go back to Hogwarts and planning their wedding for the summer, and, similar to her mother, thought the solution to everyone’s pain was a big meal and a large crowd. This didn’t sit too well with Harry. He liked to be left alone and had lost his appetite. Everyone grieves differently, Harry knew that, but he felt like the Weasley’s didn’t always understand how he was working through his losses.

-

Every morning when he woke up, Harry would check on Hermione. He knew better than anyone where she was. He had contacted the Australian Minister for Magic not two weeks after Hermione had left. From what he could tell, Hermione had not used magic in quite a long time. She had, however, warded her area against all forms of wizard travel. Harry checked to see if those wards were still up every day, committed to be at her side the second she gave any sign of wanting him, or anyone. He had found that she worked at a muggle store, but that was all he knew. He couldn’t help but be worried about her.

-

Ginny had been fighting with him again. It was always the same. 

“Ginny, I really want to keep this wedding as small as possible.”

“This is small! Goodness Harry, we’ve only invited the people who absolutely have to be there.”

Harry looked at the list of names he was holding. “I am sorry dear, but that just isn’t true. We do not need four hundred and sixty three people at this wedding! I don’t even know that many people. I just want your immediate family, Hermione, and a few other people from Hogwarts. Maybe fifty people.”

Ginny glared. “That’s just unreasonable. Why do you want such a tiny gathering for the happiest day of our lives?”

“Because it is our day! Not theirs! And because adding more people won’t replace the one’s who can’t be here. Please Ginny. I need this to be smaller. Please.”

Ginny was almost shocked by Harry’s response. “I like the list how it is. I’m sorry, maybe we can take a few people off, but it isn’t going to be a tiny wedding. It just isn’t.”

Harry didn’t respond for a long time. He knew his fiancé wasn’t going to change her mind, but he had hoped. “I need some air. I’m going to stay at Grimmauld Place tonight.” When Ginny tried to stop him, he just said, “Don’t,” and walked out the door before Apparating. 

He paced around the house for a few minutes, and then decided he had had enough. He missed his best friend and everyone was acting like everything was alright, when it so clearly wasn’t. He needed to talk to someone. That someone had always been Hermione. So off he went.

-

Harry landed in an alley right down the street from the HMV where he knew Hermione worked. He walked into the store, hoping that he would be lucky enough to catch her working, where she couldn’t run away from him again. He had no such luck. He walked up to the only employee in the shop. His name tag labeled him as Jasper.

“Hi! What can I help you find today?” He was overly cheery. It annoyed Harry more than it should have.

“Actually,” Harry said, “I wonder if you could help me. A friend of mine started working here and I wanted to pay her a visit.”

“Let me guess, Hermione?” When Harry nodded, he continued, “Figured. The accent is a dead give away. She doesn’t work today. The last guy who visited her with an accent made her cry, so I’m going to call her and see what she says. What’s your name?”

Confused, he replied “Harry Potter. Hang on, who made her cry?” But by then Jasper was on his phone and ignored his question. 

Harry only heard pieces of the phone call. “Friend of yours is here. Harry something.” “You want him to come over there? What about your roommate.” “NO, Hermione I will not prevent him from going back to your place.” “Fine. But only if you take my Friday shift.” “It was a rather nice dinner, wasn’t it?” “No the wedding isn’t for months! We have barely started to plan.” “She wants to be in a church. I want to be in a field— hang on! Hermione Granger you are stalling!” And he hung up. He the wrote an address on a bit of till paper, and gave Harry, who was even more confused, some directions. He thanked Jasper, and left, deciding to save his questions for Hermione.

-

Arriving in front of the correct building, Harry got very nervous. By the time he was standing in front of her door, he was shaking. But when she opened the door, all his fear melted away when he saw the welcoming face of his best friend. She gave him a tight hug and let him into her remarkably nice apartment.

“It’s so good to see you Harry. What are you doing here?” Hermione was smiling at him broadly.

“I just miss you. And I was worried about you. I needed to see you.” He hugged her again before taking a long look around her new home. “The guy at the shop said you have a roommate. Should I not have been telling Ron that I’m sure you’ll come back for him?”

Hermione frowned slightly. “Ron and I don’t work as a couple. It’s not a road I can go down. But yes, I have a roommate, and you’ve actually already met him.” Harry made a face. “And don’t make that face Harry Potter! I am perfectly capable of having a male roommate without having it be romantic!”

Harry laughed. “Oh, I know you can. I’m more worried about them. Who is it though? The guy said he made you cry?”

Hermione hesitated. “It’s not important right now. He just brought back a lot of memories. How are you? How is everyone?”

“Sure, just dodge the question completely! Everyone is… Everyone is trying to move on, and to forget that we lost so many people. The Weasley’s cook and throw parties and put on fake smiles that just fade until they show their true emotions. They think it helps, but it is just painful.” 

“I’m sorry I left you.” Hermione spoke softly.

“You were smart to go. But we all miss you. Especially Ron.”

“Is this the part where you drag me back? I’m not ready to go back yet.” 

Harry smiled weakly. “This is the part where I ask if I can hide out here tonight before returning tomorrow. This is the part where I ask you to consider coming back sometime. Maybe for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or anytime really. They always have more than enough food. This is the part where I ask you to write back some letters so that we know if you are okay.”

Hermione gave him a warm hug. “I’m okay. And you can stay tonight. Just promise me you will give my roommate a chance, because he has helped me a lot lately” When he nodded to her condition, she released him, and had him join her on the couch. They talked just like they used to, and both were relieved. 

-

The door opened while Hermione and Harry were deciding on what movie they should enjoy that night. 

“Granger! Your friend Jasper was acting strange again!” The voice was vaguely familiar to Harry. “He told me not to come home. He begged! But he is no Ravenclaw.” Harry still could not place the voice, but just by instinct he didn’t like it. He could still not see the speaker, he was hidden by the door. “He would not leave me alone. So, I said I would go to the library and read for a couple of hours. The bloody idiot didn’t even notice that I was walking in the opposite direction! Hang on, do you have company?”

Hermione stood up, gave Harry a look that was almost challenging him to break the promise he had made. “ Yes, come in here!” 

Malfoy and Harry glared at each other in recognition, both looking furious. Hermione looked slightly disappointed in both of them. 

It stayed quiet for far too long. “Would you please say something? Either of you?” When neither moved, Hermione got more frustrated. “Harry Potter, you promised to give him a chance.”

“But Hermione it’s—“ She silenced him with a furious glare.

“I don’t care who it is, give him a chance. And you!” She faced Draco, “Was everything you said about wanting to be better and apologize for everything complete bullshit? You are both terrible.” She stormed to her room, and slammed the door. 

“Hermione!” they both yelled after her. They looked at each other, Draco still standing just inside the doorway, and Harry on the couch. Draco went to the fridge, and got out two beers. He handed one to Harry, who nodded in thanks. They sat as far away from each other as possible.

After half a beer, Harry said, “How is she doing? With… everything?”

“Are we really going to do the whole friends thing? I had a long day and really don’t have the energy, Potter.”

“Well,” Harry said, “I did promise Hermione, and she seems to trust you. And, as much as it pains me in this moment, Hermione is always annoyingly right about everything. So ya, I guess I want to try the whole friends thing.”

Malfoy smiled a little. “She is always right. It’s slightly ridiculous. She’s… well she is strong. I think she is only starting to open up to herself and me about the war and everything else she has been through. She gets nightmares though. She distracts herself with work, but she will get there. She does plan to come back, you know.”

Harry nodded, relieved to have some of his worries about his best friend pushed aside. “So Malfoy, what is a pureblood like yourself doing living in the muggle world?” 

“I just wanted to live without prejudice. As you can imagine, I am not all that popular in the wizarding world. Unlike you. So I started to travel, and living with muggles just seemed like the obvious choice. They are quite clever, you know? But then I ran into Hermione and we started talking and now we share this place.” 

Harry looked flabbergasted. “Are you and her… what I mean to say is… well are you two…”

Malfoy laughed at the struggling Gryffindor. “No. We are not together.” Harry exhaled. “I think we should go get Hermione. She will stay hidden until we are behaving how she wants. And I’m hungry. You get Granger, and I will get the food started.” 

-

Harry was shocked by the meal. Draco claimed to have “picked up some skills from work” and the food was to die for. Draco was also remarkably pleasant. If it hadn’t been for the occasional classic Malfoy grin, smirk, or comment, Harry would have suspected polyjuice potion. It was a pleasant night, and Harry felt more at ease than he had during any of the feast at the burrow. 

That night, Draco insisted on taking the couch, and gave Harry his room. Draco hadn’t slept in his own room for a week, since the night Hermione had been screaming. Harry was almost asleep when he heard a noise from Hermione’s room. It sounded almost like a scream. He was about to get up and check on her, when he saw Draco’s pale figure approach her door. The room stayed completely quiet all night. When he woke up, Draco was back on the couch, and Hermione was contentedly making a breakfast in the kitchen.

-

When Harry got back to the Burrow, Harry found Ron. 

“I’m sorry mate, I don’t think Hermione is the one. It’s time to move on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't know why, but I loved writing this chapter! not much even happened, but I had fun so yay! Just to be clear, this is staying a Draco and Hermione fic. That is not going to change. Maybe next time, but not in this story. 
> 
> I hope something amazing happens to you today, and if not, well then just remember that worms communicate by snuggling, and that Norway once knighted a penguin, and let that make you happy. Because this world is kind of fantastic.


	7. Draco

Draco Malfoy was glad to say that he was, in fact, happy. Maybe for the first time in his life. The little things in his life were making him smile constantly. Really. He was almost annoyed with himself. He loved his simple job and his (and Hermione’s) apartment. He enjoyed the simple pleasures of smiles and thank you’s he received from those around him. It made such a pleasant and unexpected change. 

One thing Draco had come to truly dislike were his days off. Especially when Hermione had to work, and he had absolutely no way to fill his time. Sometimes he would cook or clean, providing a nice surprise to Hermione, who had been more than welcoming to him, but mostly he was a just bored. He had tried everything from going to the gym to going to the library, but nothing kept his mind occupied for long enough. His mind would drift and he would think about his unpleasant past and feel sorry for himself. After such a day, he was always eager to get to work and return to the company of his coworkers. It also always came as a relief when Hermione would arrive home.

So Draco sat on his couch, waiting for his flatmate to return home. The television was on, but Draco couldn’t pay attention to it. He honestly had no idea what he was even watching. He just stared at the screen blankly. He was often still completely amazed by muggle technology. Finally, the door opened, and Draco turned to see Hermione, looking as dishevelled and exhausted as he felt. She took off her shoes, and plopped down next to Draco. 

She rested her head back against the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. “I can’t do this anymore.”

Draco, already feeling slightly miserable, was caught off guard by this. he sat up straighter. “‘This’ being what exactly?”

She closed her eyes. “This life. This lie. Some days I fucking hate it. People ask about my friends or my parents or where I am from, and I am always forced to lie.” Her voice got very quiet, almost unsure of herself. “I want to go back.” 

“Oh.” He didn’t have anything else to say.

Hermione hesitated. “I don’t know if I can do it without you, Draco.” Her voice was soft and shy.

When Draco looked at her, her posture was tense, and so far from the Hermione he was beginning to know.

“You don’t want to go back with me Granger. They hate me. You want to go back and have it be about you, not the traitor you bring back with you. You can do it without me.”

She smirked. “I really can’t. And you should probably go back and face everyone too.”

“But Hermione, they’ll just—“

“They will respect you because I tell them to. And that goes for the public as well. I won’t just leave you. As long as you don’t leave me, that is. We could keep the flat, and run back to it, whenever we need to get away, which will probably be often. Please, Draco, just think about it.”

And Draco did. All night. And the entire next day. At work, he got so many orders wrong that his boss was threatening to sack him. He walked aimlessly after work, considering every angle. 

He knew that he wanted to return eventually. Going back with a member of the golden trio was by far his best bet of avoiding abuse and making a future for himself. But it was still a lot. Too much.

Was it?

Damn it, being around a Gryffindor was definitely getting to his head. Maybe it wasn’t too much. He almost wanted to try, to see which of the hundreds of turn of events actually occurred. Of course, if someone acted like they did in most of the scenarios he had conjured up, he would be a little too dead to say “I told you so” to Hermione.

Plus, Hermione would be just fine on her own. Merlin knew she was strong enough. But she said she needed him. Would he really help her that much? 

Doubtful.

Maybe a little though. And that was why Draco almost wanted to say yes. (Almost). 

-

He returned home no less than 6 hours later than he had originally told Hermione to expect him. She was cooking herself a late dinner, and didn’t even look up when he walked in. 

Draco stood at the entrance to the kitchen, telling himself to tell her he wouldn’t go back with her. That his life wasn’t worth it. That she would be better off without him. 

She looked him in the eyes. “Did you make a decision, after all your thinking?”

Draco nodded. Hermione looked at him then, full of hope. Bloody hell. He was going to be killed. “I’ll do it.”

Hermione wrapped him into a fierce bear hug.

“But if your golden boy’s followers decide to kill me, you better throw me one hell of a funeral.”

Hermione chuckled, and beamed at him. “I will spend millions on getting every detail right. Should we start planning now or later?”

Draco couldn’t help but laugh.

-

They had decided to return for the Weasley legendary Sunday get together. Hermione had sent a letter to Potter, and had asked him to tell everyone to expect them. Draco wondered what exactly he had decided to share and leave out.

On Saturday, Hermione had left their home, and returned less than an hour later, holding her wand as if it where some foreign object. She used it for small tasks all day, but it still seemed like it made her uncomfortable. Draco fetched his own wand.

Together they practised a huge number of spells. Summoning, Levitation and spells often used around the home where their priority.

When he had asked why she was doing it, Hermione had only said “They can’t ask about me not using magic, if they don’t know I’ve stopped.”

That night, any sleep either of them got was riddled with dreams of horrors. They did not talk, and the silence was eery to say the least. They just spent the night next to each other, their proximity reassuring. 

By mourning, neither was fully awake, and when they got up, they didn’t speak. They sat nervously and ate instead. When Hermione had started to pace around the small space, Draco suggested they go out on a walk. 

She nodded, grabbed her wand to put in her pocket, and left the flat with Draco. They walked for what felt like hours, and then sat in some random and small restaurant for lunch, which neither of them really touched, before they carried on. If given a map, Draco would have no idea where to even begin to look for his current location. Not that it mattered. 

Much too soon, Hermione was telling him to grab his arm so that they could Apparate. He tried to hide his hesitation and doubt as he reached for her arm. He regretted it the moment he took hold, but of course, it was too late to go back.

-

The Burrow was… an atrocity. It looked horrid. It was bigger than he was expecting, probably because Weasley, Ron, had earned a huge amount of gold for the whole Dark Lord thing. Whatever. It still looked like a two year old had been put in charge of its construction.

“Come on,” Hermione said, while grabbing his hand. “Everyone will be waiting.”

Potter met them in the middle of the field, offering Draco a hand shake and Hermione a hug. 

“They know that you are bringing a wizard guest, Hermione, but I didn’t say who it was.”

Draco groaned. This was going to be fun. 

Potter just smiled as he led them to the door. Before going in he said, “I’ve got your back.” It was strangely reassuring.

Hermione led the way into the house, and was promptly met with enthusiastic cheering and hugs and smiles. At first, no one noticed Draco. But then Weaslette did. 

“What the bloody hell is Malfoy doing here?!” She squeaked. 

All eyes turned to Draco. He tried to smile, but the fear probably turned it into more of a sneer. Ron thru the first spell. True to his word, Potter deflected it easily. 

Ron raised his wand again, but Potter did the same, his eyes daring Ron to throw another spell. The look of shock on Ron’s face was priceless. 

“You knew about this then?” Potter nodded. Ron turned to Hermione. “How can you do this to me?”

“This may surprise you, Ronald, but you don’t actually have the right to dictate who I’m friends with!”

“Oh, so he’s a friend now? You just run away without a word, without apology, and start making friends with Death Eaters? Bloody hell.”

“Oh, so you want an apology? Well you sure as hell won’t be getting one. I was doing something for me, for once. And as for who I spend my time with, that is my choice. And I chose someone I trust! I chose someone who knows what it feels like to have a family who is still alive, but to have lost it. And I will not be staying if you choose to push him out.” Hermione had been yelling, but all eyes once again drifted to Draco. 

Weaslette looked at Potter in question. “I trust him too.”

After what felt like hours of glares, everyone eventually crowded around a table that was much to small. Draco had never sat through a more awkward meal in his life. And he had shared meals with the Dark Lord. 

Hermione and Potter had tried to start multiple conversations, but they all ended in a comment on Draco being a Death Eater, or brought up a topic that was too painful to talk about. 

After the fourteenth time someone said Draco was a Death Eater, he snapped. 

“I am not and never was a Death Eater! It was me or my family, do you not get that?!” He pushed up his sleeve, showing them the horror that was his wrist. The black serpent looked deeply infected and slashes had distorted the image. “Does it look like I was willing? Do you think that I didn’t try and find any other way out? Fuck you all! I’ll see you at home, Hermione.”

Then he stormed out, as fast as he could. He hadn’t made it very far, before a hand grabbed his arm. It was Hermione. She nodded at him, and gave him a pitying smile. 

“Let’s go home.”

“Don’t you want to stay back with them?”

“Nope!” Hermione was grinning now. “I wasn’t lying. I need you, and I am not going to leave you. Also, I am doing something very important.”

Draco raised an eyebrow at her, questioning.

“I am proving a point!”

They Disapparated, and returned just a block from their home. By the time they entered the flat, both Hermione and Draco were laughing about the meal, and mostly at the looks on everyone’s face when they had seen him.

Hermione started yawning only minutes after they got home. “Come on, let’s go to bed, my rebellious and evil boyfriend!” 

Draco was glad she had not been facing him, because, although he could hardly explain it, he was blushing like a mad man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait guys. I know this chapter is short, but honestly, I'm just proud of my self for writing anything. I had mostly given up on the story. This is my first fic and doing a multi chapter fic with only a vague idea of where it might be heading can lead to complications, like wanting to go back. I promise that this fic will be completed, but I refuse to give any time line. Thanks for sticking with me if you have! Please have a beautiful and adventurous day!
> 
> If your day is sucking, I'm sorry. That's never fun, but maybe these three super fun facts will make it even a touch happier:  
> \- A 6-year-old applied for a job at a railroad museum and was hired as its director of fun.  
> \- The actors who voiced Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse were married in real life.  
> \- Cows produce the most milk when listening to the song Everybody Hurts by REM (I wonder who took the time to figure that out?)


	8. Hermione

Hermione was doing it again. She knew it was bordering on creepy, but she really couldn’t bring herself to care. Every once and a while, her mother or her father would look over at her and catch her eye, and for just a second, Hermione could imagine them recognizing her and getting their memories back. It was painful and difficult, and always broke her heart, but she had to do it. She had to see that they were alright. That they were happy.

But today they weren’t. Today, her mother sat on the park bench, crying into her husband’s shirt. Hermione had seen her mother cry few times, always when she was going away or coming back on the Hogwarts Express. But today, she was crying for another reason. 

“I’m never going to be a mum.” Hermione heard her sob. It drew tears to her own eyes. She wanted to scream. She wanted to rush to her mother and tell her that she was the best mother the world had ever seen. Her parents left soon after, both pasting false smiles on their faces, but Hermione was rooted to the spot, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. Hermione did nothing to wipe them away.

Draco found her like that some hours later. Hermione didn’t know how long it had been. It was dark now, and she had stopped crying. He sat down beside her, and wrapped one strong arm around her in a hug.

No words were spoken as they stood and slowly walked the two blocks back to their home. Soon enough, Hermione was curled up on the couch with her favourite blanket, and a mug of hot tea.

“They loved you so much Hermione. Some part of them always will.” Draco spoke softly. Of course he would figure out what was wrong.

“They don’t know I was ever theirs. My mother doesn’t think she will ever have a child. But she has me.”

“Shhh Hermione, we will fix this.” He gently pulled her over to him, until Hermione’s head rested on Draco’s shoulder. She nuzzled in closer.

Her eyelids were drooping as she mumbled “If you say so,” into his shoulder before falling asleep.

-

Hermione woke up on the couch, slumped against a form. Her head was in Draco’s lap, as he stroked her hair. Seeing her wake, he smiled down at her.

“What time is it?” Hermione slurred out sleepily.

“Just past ten. I didn’t want to wake you.”

Hermione just groaned and allowed her head to be petted some more. It was soothing. And peaceful. 

“Hermione?”

“Hmm?”

“I think I want to get a new job.”

“Mmmkay. Where?”

“The Ministry.” 

This woke Hermione up. “I thought you had no desire to go back. I thought you hated how you were treated.”

“All still true. I just think it’s where I can do the most good. Do you think you could help me with this?”

“Of course! I’ll do whatever I can. But what has changed?”

Draco grinned. “Well, I watched The Lion King, excellent movie, by the way, but you know that bit where the monkey tells him that line about the past?”

“You can either run from it or learn from it.”

“Exactly! I just think I’ve done enough running. I thought maybe we could do it together, you know, if you want.”

Hermione paused. About a dozen emotions seemed to be conflicting on her face before she shook her head. “I just don’t know. Maybe. Let me think about it. I have no idea what I would even do. But I will help you, those arseholes won't dare try and pick a fight against us.”

Draco grinned and bent to place a gentle kiss on Hermione’s forehead. “Thanks Hermione.” 

Hermione smiled up at him before once again closing her eyes, as Draco passed his hand through her hair once again.

-

The next day, Hermione had the day off. She did the same things as always; visited Draco's cafe, had lunch, read a book, sat outside and thought. She sent a letter off to Harry, the muggle way, and then thought about her possible career choices. She came home early, and made dinner for when Draco came home.

She told him about how she had sent the letter to Harry, asking about a job, and he thanked her with a hug.

"Are you going to apply?" Draco asked.

Hermione just shrugged. "I'm actually thinking of going to muggle university. Doing some good in this world, before thinking about going back to ours."

"That sounds great! I can um... Move out.... If that's what you want. I know I have stayed way past my welcome and if you are moving to a university, don't let me hold you back."

"What are you on about Malfoy? You know how much I need you. I can't sleep without you there. Even if we move, I will be begging you to stay, not to leave. Will you stay?"

Draco took Hermione's face in his hands and brushed her hair behind her ears and then met her eyes.

"Always."

He lowered his face to hers and pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss. 

~

They exchanged kisses the rest of the night. Hermione kissed Draco's elbow while he was cleaning up, and he kissed her forehead while they watched tv, and both were comfortable and relaxed. To Hermione, it just felt right. She hadn't felt so good in months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a long tim but I think I will be able to start posting more often (not that that is very hard at this rate). I don't make promises, but if you have stayed with me this long, THANK YOU! 
> 
> Fun facts:  
> When hippos get mad, their sweat turns red. how would you even learn what makes a hippo mad??   
> A crocodile can't poke its tongue out  
> Catfish are the only animal that naturally have an odd number of whiskers. Because someone counted. I love science


	9. Draco

Things were good. Like really good. 

Hermione had applied to a universities for human rights programs, and he had started working at the ministry. The problem was, he couldn’t tell Hermione what that job was. He had taken it for her. He was going to find a way to return her parents memories. Hermione thought he would be creating new spells, but Draco didn’t want to get her hopes up until he had made some progress.

In others news, Hermione was officially his girlfriend. He had felt incredible pride when he was introduced to Jasper’s fiancee and Hermione had introduced him as such when they were saying goodbye to the couple. Now he wanted to scream about his relationship from the rooftops. Of course, that probably wouldn’t be the best idea for his first week of work at the ministry. Which it currently was.

Potter had been his most helpful ally, insuring that everyone who saw Draco knew that he was a good person, and didn’t deserve to be hexed. The people in the lab quickly saw that he was hard working and intelligent, so they left him in peace. The test subjects had no idea who they actually were, so naturally didn’t care about his past. All in all, it was all better than he could have hoped for. 

He still returned to Hermione every night, but they had moved. They now lived in a tiny town in the north of England, occupying a small but comfortable home. They would both have to commute to work and to school for Hermione, but they enjoyed the privacy and seclusion of their home, and they were both willing to Apparate. Potter was the only one who knew they had moved or about their friendship. He did not know about the fact that Draco Malfoy was officially Hermione Granger’s boyfriend. But he would find out tonight.

Hermione had asked Potter and Weaslette for dinner. Draco personally thought that telling the youngest Weasley about there relationship was just plain stupid, but Hermione had said she trusted her not to tell anyone else without permission. Draco secretly hoped she would.

-

Draco came home in time to help prepare a salad and a quick dessert for the meal before a knock came at the door. Before answering, Hermione kissed him softly.

“If they don’t like it, they can leave, but we hold our ground. I won’t allow them to shame our relationship in our home.” 

Draco kissed her one last time before the couple moved towards the door. Hermione hugged Potter and Weasley, while Draco shook Potter’s hand and tried to do the same with Ginny, who only glared at him. He shrugged like it didn't bother him, even though it did, and Hermione patted his back and gave him a nod as if she knew it had. Of course she would know. 

-

It would be lovely to be able to say that dinner was comfortable and pleasant, and it may have been, if it hadn’t been for Weaslette. Hermione and Draco were both nervous, and the other two had clearly noticed. While Harry was being more pleasant than usual, his fiancee was more harsh. 

She was constantly making jabs at Draco. She called him Death Eater and scum and evil. His fists were clenched in an effort to keep calm. Harry was glaring at the girl. Hermione seemed to have her emotions in check, right until the moment she snapped.

“SHUT UP GINNY! I will not listen to you talk to MY BOYFRIEND like this. Not ever, and especially not in our home!” She was standing now, and barely noticed the stunned faces of everyone at the table until Draco took her hand and gently pulled her back down. He didn't let go of her, rubbing the back of her hand gently.

Potter was the first to recover. “I’m so happy for you guys. You seem nice toge——“

“What the fuck is wrong with you all?!” Ginny interrupted. “How is anything about this conversation alright? How can you do this to Ron? How can you act like this monster has changed? How can they possibly seem ‘nice’ together?”

Hermione looked completely enraged. “How can you sit here and NOT think Draco has changed? How can I have done anything to Ron when all Ron and I ever had were a couple kisses? How can you see that the problem here is not us but you?”

Ginny looked taken aback, while Draco and Harry looked rather proud. Hermione had not stood up for herself like this in a while. The fierce fire Hermione previously possessed was relit and they both knew that Hermione would not back down.

“Harry, are you really going to let her talk to me like that?” Ginny asked softly.

“Dear, please stop talking to these lovely hosts the way you have been. They’ve done nothing wrong. You will never need me to defend you in this situation, or any other, however I would have corrected Hermione if she had said anything untrue. Which she hasn’t.”

“How can you take a Death Eater’s side over your own fiancee?”

Finally, Draco spoke up. “Potter, do you want to stay for dessert? I would ask your lovely fiancee, but seeing as I made it, I wouldn’t want to put her at risk of being infected by the evil thoughts that are sure to be infused in it.” He smiling his usual smug smile and watching as Ginny fought the urge to storm out. Instead, she asked for a moment to talk to Hermione alone.

Harry grinned, knowing Hermione could convince Ginny to change her mind. “Come on Romeo, give me the tour of this place.”

“Who the hell is Romeo?” 

“Never mind, I’ll explain in a second. Let’s let the ladies talk.” 

Draco led the way out of the dining room and into the hall, before Potter had him slammed against a wall with a wand in his face.

“You better not do anything to hurt her Malfoy. Do you know how many wizards know who I am? All of them. If you harm her at all, you will find that the world is a very small place with no hiding spots. You will try to run but you won’t last a week. Do you know how many people would oppose to me violently torturing a man accused of being a Death Eater? None. If you hurt her you will learn new meanings for the words ‘pain’ and ‘fear’. If you test me, you will fail.”

Draco slowly raised his hands in surrender. “Damn Potter, how long have you been practising that one?”

“Since the day I found out that you were Hermione’s roommate.”

“It shows. She’s lucky to have a friend like you. If I hurt her, I’m glad someone will do something about it. She deserves no less, but I think she would finish me before you got the chance.”

“That’s probably true. The girls have stopped fighting, let’s head back in.”

-

Upon reentering the dining room, Ginny offered her hand to Draco as a peace offering. He shook it wearily.

“I’m sorry.” Ginny stammered. “I never really considered your point of view, and it was wrong of me to judge you the way I did. I will try to be better.”

Draco looked amazed. “Apology accepted.” He took his seat, then looked at Hermione and Harry. “Are either of you going to explain who Romeo is?”

-

By the time Harry and Ginny had left, it was pitch black outside. Hermione loved that about their home. She could see the stars. 

They cleaned up using the muggle methods. Hermione still avoided her wand whenever it wouldn’t raise questions, and Draco enjoyed stepping away from magic when he was home from work. It offered him peace of mind and variety in his daily life, which he knew to cherish.

The couple spent the evening curled next to each other, in their usual position while they watched tv, neither of them paying any sort of attention to the action on the screen. Hermione felt completely content as she rested against Draco. Draco, in turn was awake and feeling guilty.

He should tell Hermione about his job. He would tell her. But he couldn’t force himself to say anything. Not with her resting in his arms, finally able to sleep through the night without waking screaming. It would be too cruel and she had been through so much.

So instead of spilling his secret, he held on to it for longer, and maneuvered a very sleep Hermione towards there bedroom to sleep. 

As usual, they lay in the middle of the bed, Hermione basically on Draco, and Hermione, as she usually did after an encounter with someone she thought might have Draco running away, mumbled “Please stay.”

Draco kissed her for only a moment and then said “I could never leave” against her forehead, but Hermione was already asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took me way too long... My bad guys  
> Here are some super fun facts to keep you entertained for the next day.  
> 1-About 8,000 Americans are injured by musical instruments each year.  
> 2-The average person walks the equivalent of twice around the world in a lifetime.  
> 3-Mel Blanc – the voice of Bugs Bunny – was allergic to carrots.  
> 4-A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.  
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter and your week! please leave comments if you would like. They are always appreciated.


	10. Hermione

School for Hermione was a new and exciting experience. She loved her classes and felt comforted by being back in a place of learning. She loved studying and meeting new people on a daily basis. She was at the top of her class, and other people often sought her out for help. She loved coming home to Draco, as she had been for the past three months. 

The one thing that was bothering her, was Draco. The idiot was so concerned with her well being, that he had been lying to her. She knew all about his position at the ministry, but for some reason, Draco was not telling her what was really happening in his life. He had also been insisting that they keep their relationship quiet from the rest of their friends from Hogwarts. Ron still didn’t even know.

Hermione had just written a big exam, and was finally able to return home and just spend the night relaxing. She sat on the worn leather couch that sat in their living room, reading a new science fiction book that she was truly enjoying, when Draco Apparated to the door and walked in. He was noticeably upset, and collapsed next to Hermione.

Hermione gently ran her fingers through his hair, waiting for when he would begin to open up to her. Maybe that night would finally be the night.

It wasn’t.

Half an hour later, he had gotten up and began to cook for them, still not saying a word. So Hermione spoke up. “Tell me what’s wrong Draco”

He replied without hesitating. “Nothing, just a long day at work-“

“Cut the bullshit Draco! Just tell me whats wrong.” Hermione interrupted, simply exhausted of Draco closing himself off to her.

“I can’t—“

She got up, walked to Draco and wrapped him in a hug. “Please just tell me Draco. Please.”

He returned the hug, quickly relaxing in Hermione’s strong embrace. Together they stood, Hermione waiting for Draco to speak. 

His voice was so quiet, it wouldn’t have been heard if Hermione were any further away. “How can I tell you when I can’t tell you anything good? I won’t burden you. Not you. Not if I can help it.”

“It’s alright Draco. I know. Maybe I can help, but only if you’ll let me.”

Draco pushed Hermione far enough away so that he could look at her. “You know?”

She smiled. “Honestly, it’s as if you think I don’t know anyone in wizarding Britain. After your first week, Harry mentioned how happy he was that you were helping me by trying to solve the problem with my parents. I am so grateful, Draco.” She took a pause, preparing herself. “It’s not working, is it?”

Draco shook his head.

“Go get your notes so far. Let me help.”

Draco looked lost and uncertain. “I can’t put you through that.”

“And I can’t watch you go through it alone. Please Draco. We are the top two students of our year, we can do a lot, if we work together.”

The blonde nodded and walked to where he had left his papers and notes from work, and brought them silently back to Hermione. She was right, and he knew it, but he still feared that if they didn’t find a solution, Hermione would be in even more pain than she had been previously. He also knew that Hermione would not give up without at least trying to help in his research.

They sat together on the couch, skipping their evening meal for the time being.

“These files are for individuals who lost memories due to prolonged exposure to the Curciatus Curse. Many people assume that these people will be easier to help, and that the cure here will be almost exactly the same as the cure for Obliviated people.”

Hermione read through the first page of a file. “They don’t tell us the person’s name?”

“No. They try to keep everything confidential. Wizards all know each other now, and hostilities run deep. Most Malfoy’s wouldn’t be willing to help if they were helping a Weasley, for example. Only the person giving the actual treatment knows their identity.”

“Hmm” Hermione continued to read. “So this potion you brewed… It helped?”

“Temporarily. The patient was lucid for about an hour, before he returned to a similar state to before.”

“What about regular doses of the potion?” 

“We tried that on patient number 3. She was lucid for about a day before the potion stopped having any effect on her.”

“Damn.” Hermione kept reading, familiarizing herself with each of the ten case files. Some, amount of time later, Draco took the file she was reading from her hands and replaced it with a plate of food. 

“Eat. They’ll still be there when you finish.”

She smiled gratefully. “Thanks.”

They ate in silence for a while, until Hermione said, “I have an idea.”

Draco looked up. “Do tell.”

“I know it isn’t typically used nowadays, but what if we tried to do the potion combined with a spell to force the potion to stay within the patients system, and avoid immunity.”

Draco thought. “That might actually work!”

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

He grinned. “Your genius is unparalleled.” He moved closer to her, and then kissed her forehead. “If the potion remains in their blood stream, the effects should’t wear off. We could come up with a spell by tomorrow! I really think this might work!” 

~

The three days later, Draco came home grinning, and looking ridiculous. Hermione didn’t have to be told to know that their plan had worked. She rushed to Draco, and he hugged her and began to laugh. “We are unstoppable!”

Hermione pulled away briefly. “Tell me.”

“Patient four has been lucid for two and a half days. He is going to see his son tomorrow, and he will know who that is. Patients five and six are a day behind and looking promising. If patient four remains stable for a week, all patients will be given the same cure. We did it!”

They both grinned and didn’t even bother trying to stop.

“They want to bring in Obliviated people starting next week. Do you want… I mean I could get them in probably.”

Hermione froze. “No.”

“Hermione?”

“I know it’s selfish, but I don’t want to put them through that. They don’t even know that magic is real. I want them to be treated if I know it will work.”

Draco smiled softly. “Alright. I understand. We will get it to work, you know?”

She smiled back, and then kissed him gently. “I know. Together.”

“Together.” He agreed.

~

A month passed. Hermione’s classes were over for the term, as winter holidays had begun. Draco’s original ten patients were all released from St. Mungo’s, with regular appointments that were all going well. The Obliviated individuals were seeing some promising results, but nothing was working perfectly just yet.

Just before falling asleep one night, Draco asked Hermione if she wanted to go to the Ministry Christmas party.

She lifted her head from where it rested on his chest. “That depends. Would I be going for the food, or would I be going to support my boyfriend.”

“Um, well, I thought we might, well…” Draco stammered.

Hermione laughed. “Relax. I’ll go if you want me to. But only if I get to go with you. As in your date.”

“Oh good, I was hoping you would say that.”

Hermione seemed slightly surprised. “I thought you would fight me on this”

He began to play with her constantly messy hair. “A while ago, I would have. Now I want to be able to go out with my girlfriend and be happy. I think we’ve earned that much. Besides, people like me a lot more now that I have helped solve some of the problems caused by the Dark L— Voldemort. Sorry.” 

Hermione smiled. Draco was still changing, and his constant effort to do so did not go unnoticed. She pushed herself further up on the bed, before pressing her lips to his neck. “I would love” A kiss in the middle of his chest. “To go” She moved down the bed once again, and kissed his stomach, watching his muscles tense slightly. “To that party” She put her thumbs just under the top corner of his boxers, pulled them down slightly, and kissed the newly revealed skin. “With you as my date.” Draco groaned and grinned at the beautiful girl he was so lucky to be able to hold onto each night.

~

The party was taking place on a Saturday, and the Sunday before, the couple decided to venture once more over to the Weasley’s for dinner. They both agreed that their relationship would soon be common knowledge, and they could use as many people on their side as possible. Also, Hermione wanted them to hear it from her, and not from Rita Skeeter.

Once again they Apparated into the field outside of the Burrow, and once again they entered and were greeted with hostility, although this time both Harry and Ginny were there to support them. Unsurprisingly, Ron’s opinion had not changed.

“What the bloody hell is he doing here?”

“Give him a chance Ron.” Ginny said calmly, to everyone’s surprise.

“Potter, Ginny, good to see you again.” Draco said.

“Again? what the hell does he mean by again?”

Harry ignored him. “You too Malfoy. How’s the job going? I heard you made some huge developments. Congrats.”

“Thanks. But I couldn’t have done it without Hermione.” He slung his arm around her waist.

Ron snapped. “What the fuck is happening here!? Have you lost your minds?”

Hermione just smiled at him. “Probably.” 

~

The meal was less awkward then their first attempt, mostly due to Ginny’s support. The dinner might have been an entirely peaceful affair, if George hadn’t voiced the question on everyone’s mind. 

“So… are you a couple now or what?”

Hermione and Draco shared a glance before grabbing Draco’s hand from where it rested on the table. “Yes, we are.” Her voice held no trace of doubt or regret. She smiled at Draco, who couldn’t help but smile back.

Ron took out his wand, but it was gone a second later, held in Ginny’s fist. Draco nodded at her in thanks.

Molly spoke up next. “Hermione, dear, are you sure.”

“Yes. For the first time in a very long time.”

“And you trust him?”

The reply was instantaneous. “With my life.”

“That’s good enough for me.” George said, “But if you hurt her—“

“Let me guess, you’ll destroy me slowly and painfully? Don’t worry, Potter already covered that bit.”

Ron tensed. “You knew?” He asked Harry.

“Yes”

“How long?”

Hermione shifted. “Ron I asked him to keep it quiet. It’s not his fault, it’s mine.”

“How long have I been your best friends and how long did you keep this from me?”

“Four months.” Harry barely whispered.

Ron didn’t speak. He just stood, turned away and walked out the door, and then Disapparated to some unknown location. The room filled with silence, broken when Molly began to clear the dishes with a swipe of her wand. 

Draco stood to leave, but left Hermione some room so she could speak to Harry. Harry promised to speak to Ron, and offered the support Hermione needed from her best friend. 

Once home, the couple went straight to their shared room without a word. Once they were comfortably laying down, Hermione mumbled “I won’t leave you because Ron wants me to, you know.”

Draco took a slow breath. “Good, because I think I’m falling in love with you, and I don’t ever want these feelings to stop.”

Hermione took a slow breath. “Me neither.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random Facts Time:  
> -In space, astronauts are unable to cry, because there is no gravity and the tears won’t flow.  
> -There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S that there are real ones. (because humans are weird)  
> -Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously. (please don't test this one)  
> -There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.   
> These are important things to know!   
> Anyways, thanks for reading and feel free to comment! Also, I hope today is like the best day ever for you!  
> If not, think of Dramione cuddles and smile :)


	11. Draco

And so the day of the office Christmas party arrived, and Draco would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. Hermione constantly told him that it would be alright, and that she would not change her mind about whether or not they should attend. So they couple got dressed up in dress jobs, Hermione's was white with beautiful pink and green floral, Draco's navy blue and grey. Together they walked hand in hand to the visitors entrance of the ministry, and descended.

The crowd that met them was different from what the couple was accustomed to. Everyone was considerably more dressed up, and instead of rushing around with purpose, they were all milling around. Draco gulped. This was likely to be a disaster.

Remarkably, the first person they met didn't comment on the relationship, instead running to the couple and wrapped both of them in a hug before they even saw who it was. On instinct, Draco pushed the person away, only to see that was Longbottom. 

"Bloody hell Longbottom! Personal space man!" Draco shrieked. Hermione, on the other hand, had seen who it was and gone in for another hug.

"It's so good to see you Neville. How are you?"

Neville beamed. "I'm absolutely brilliant. Brilliant! And it's all thanks to you lot. I will never be able to thank you enough."

Hermione and Draco were both confused. "Ummmm," Draco stammered. "What have we done?"

"Only given my parents back to me!" 

Draco was still completely lost, but Hermione was not. "The study!" She cried out. "Oh Neville! How are they?"

"Brilliant! They hate that they missed so much, but now they are just grateful to have their minds back. Luckily, the one memory they don't have is how they lost their minds in the first place."

Draco, still visibly confused, asked, "How did they?"

Now Neville looked equally lost. "Don't you know? You were paying attention to the news in fifth year, and you had them as subjects during the experiments."

Draco shrugged, looking slightly ashamed. "I was an ass back then, I didn't look at the paper, assuming that my father was filling me in on more than the paper would know anyways. And the trials are completely anonymous. Researchers are given very basic information only. Nothing we could ever identify someone by."

"Well," Neville said softly, "I assumed you knew. Bellatrix Lestrange tortured my parents during the first war, and they were in St. Mungo's until your study gave their minds back to them."

Draco's face had fallen and he was self consciously rubbing the spot where his disfigured dark mark was hidden by his dress jobs. "Merlin, I'm sorry. Truly Neville. Bella was always insane. She’s definitely the most irrational of our family, and her husband is just the same. The world is better off without them.”

"Sorry?" Neville gasped. "Don't you realize how much you have done for me? I don't blame you for your actions. I don't think any of us would have done any differently in your place. And I could never blame you for the actions of your aunt. I can only hold you accountable for your most recent actions, which have been amazing. So thank you Draco Malfoy."

The men shook hands, both feeling that the moment was surreal. Then the trio began wander around the hall, trying to ignore the stares and glares directed at them, making awkward conversations with the occasional person who was clearly trying to appear like they didn't mind Draco's presence as much as they actually did. Then they ran into a different trio. 

Ron, Harry and Ginny were mingling by one of tables looking like they would rather by anywhere else. As seemed to be the case every time Potter was in pubic, there was a crowd trying to get his attention and speak to him. When he saw them, Harry rushed over, dodging his followers, and Ron sulked while Ginny glared at him.

"Hi guys!" Harry said somewhere between excited and nervous. "Ron is still being an ass."

Draco shrugged. He had been accepted by many more people than he had expected to be. One person not liking him, especially when that person was his girlfriend's ex something, was something he could easily accept. “It’s quite alright.”

Harry soon began to pester Neville about his parents, who were eager to get out of the house and begin working again. Draco couldn’t imagine how surreal the whole situation must be for Neville, who apparently had never truly known his parents until the study was conducted. Draco honestly wasn’t paying much attention to Neville’s stories of his parents recovery, because he was getting distracted by the glares Ron was directing at him and his girlfriend. Draco leaned towards Hermione and took her hand. She smiled kindly back at him.

Apparently this action snapped something in Ron, because he made his way over finally. “Sorry to interrupt everyone,” he said awkwardly, “Hermione, could I have a word?” 

Her hand gripped Draco’s more tightly before letting go.. “Of course Ron.” Then she smiled at Draco, kissed his cheek and whispered “Be right back.”

Draco smiled nervously and nodded. He tried to hide his concern as Hermione walked a short distance away with Ron. 

Harry sighed. “Please let them fix this. I miss my best friends. It’s the sixth year all over again.”

“What happened with them in sixth year?” Draco asked, to distract himself. He could no longer see Hermione from where he stood.

“This in reverse. Ron and Lavender were dating and Hermione hated it. They fought all year. I avoided theme by trying to figure out what you were doing most of the time. I am sorry about that Draco. The incident in the bathroom was completely foolish of me. And I’m sorry about what Voldemort was getting you to do.”

Draco rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “While I appreciate the gesture, can we not do this here please Potter? It isn’t the place or the time for some deep apologies.”

Harry smiled. “Of course. Some other time. Hermione is on her way back.” He pointed.

When Draco caught sight of her, he knew something was very wrong. He rushed towards her and she quickly fell into his arms for a hug. She was crying. Draco tried to ask what had happened, but she just said “Can we go home?”

“Of course.” They walked back to the Gryffindor group and Draco said “We are heading home, but it was good seeing you all. We should get together some time.”

They all nodded, and Harry shook his hand and said “You take care of Hermione. I’ll punch Ron.”

Draco grinned. “Thanks mate.” Then he returned to Hermione and took her home.

~

Once home, the couple silently put on pyjamas and crawled into bed. Hermione rested her head on his chest, using him as a pillow. Draco brought a hand up around her shoulder and stroked her hair. He didn’t ask what happened. Hermione always told things in her own time.

Minutes or hours later, Draco could never tell, Hermione spoke just loud enough for him to hear. “I thought he wanted to just go back to being friends. I miss him being my friend. He tried to kiss me. When I pulled away, he grabbed my wrists, very close to my scars.”

Draco pulled her closer and pressed his face into her hairs. Ron had probably grabbed her exactly the way Bellatrix had. Idiot. Hermione went silent again. She was trying to control her breathing.

“Then I kneed him in the balls, he dropped my wrists, and I told him to never touch me again.” She went silent again. Draco thought she might be asleep. Just before he joined her, she spoke even softer than before. “He asked me if I’m in love with you.”

“Yeah? What did you say?” Draco asked nervously.

“Nothing.”

“Oh.” Draco said, more than slightly upset.

Hermione adjusted herself so she shared Draco’s pillow and could look him in the face. “I wanted you to be the first person to know that I love you. Because I do, you know. I love you Draco.”

Draco’s grin was so wide it almost looked painful. “Hermione Granger, I love you back.” And he kissed her, making her forget all about the events of the evening.

He fiddled with the hem of her soft pyjama shirt, and then snuck his hand underneath. Hermione raised herself off him just long enough to remove it. 

That night, they eventually fell asleep comfortably curled together, their scarred wrists pressed together and there hands clasped. They were perfectly at peace.

~

Draco was late coming home from work the following day. He walked into the kitchen. It was Hermione’s turn to cook, but he asked her to stop for a moment. “We have to talk.”

She followed him into their sitting room and sat beside him on the couch, where Draco promptly took her hand. He opened and closed his mouth, not knowing how to start the conversation.

“You’re starting to scare me Draco. What is it? Is everything alright?”

Draco took a deep breath. “I think it might be time to bring your parents back to England.”

Hermione looked surprised. “Are you saying…?” Draco nodded. “Are you sure?” Again he nodded, smiling now. “How?”

“We used three smaller doses of the potion, each dose with a weak spell. We deliver the doses over the course of a week. I’m pretty sure someone cast the spell wrong one time, and we realized that less strength really helped. One patient has been lucid two and a half weeks.”

Hermione grinned and gave him a hug, whispering as she did so. “Thank you. Let’s go get my parents.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading! I know this is a bit short, but I think it's important that the next bit is told by Hermione. So this is kind of wrapping up. There will be one more chapter and then an epilogue. Anyways... I hope something wonderful happens to you today. If not, I hope these fun facts at least make you smile!
> 
> -The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.  
> -The word 'lethologica' describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want. (which seems cruel to me)  
> -The length of an elephant is the same as the tongue of a blue whale.   
> -Blueberries in bubbly drinks (like bubbly water or champagne) will float up and sink down over and over. Try it at home!


	12. Hermione

Hermione was nervous as she approached the couple sitting in the park. “Excuse me,” she said “do you think you could give me directions to the library?”

Her father smiled. “Certainly! Walk down the street and talk your third left, then walk a block and take a right, then, actually, it’s probably best if I just walk with you, it isn’t too far from where we are going anyways.”

Having hoped for this outcome, Hermione grinned. “If you are willing, that would be wonderful. Thank you.”

Together they walked down the street in the direction of the library. As they turned the first corner, however, Draco and a ministry official stood waiting, and quickly stunned Hermione’s parents and prepared to apparate to the ministry centre for research. 

“I hate this,” Hermione said for the hundredth time. Draco was beside her in an instant, and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close.

“I know, but they will thank you for it later.”

Hermione leaned into Draco. “We are kidnapping them. I know we are doing the right thing, but this is really rather difficult to watch.”

Draco kissed her forehead “Let’s get this over with then.” Hermione nodded and together they Apparated back to England. When they arrived, just moments behind the official who had taken Hermione’s parents, they saw the room where they would be staying. The room resembled a hotel room more than it did a hospital. 

Within minutes, Hermione’s parents looked as if they were resting comfortably, and Draco was preparing to give them the first draught of potion. Hermione stood beside her parents and silently hoped for her parents wellbeing.

Her dreams were brought to fruition a couple hours later, when her father awoke, and as he sat up, he spotted Hermione and grinned at her. He opened his arms in a silent offer that the girl thought she might never see again. She hugged him and held on as though he might disappear. 

“My darling,” he said. “Oh my brave, brave girl. I love you so very much.” Hermione felt another hand on her back, and turned to see her mother smiling at her.

Unable to find the words to properly express her emotions, she let herself be held by her parents, who finally recognized her. Minutes later, they pulled apart and readjusted, so that they sat up against the headboard of their bed, with Hermione in the middle, each of her hands being held by one of her parents.

That’s how Draco found them a couple minutes later, having returned from getting tea for himself and his girlfriend. Upon seeing the scene, he grinned. “It worked.”

Hermione nodded. “Thanks to you.” Seeing the questions on her parents’ faces, she said, “Mum, dad, I’ve mentioned Draco before. He found the cure that brought back your memories.”

Her dad looked confused, until Draco said “Draco Malfoy, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” as he shook his hand.

“Malfoy,” he considered thoughtfully. “The Malfoy who hates non-magical people and things and verbally attacked my daughter for years?” 

Draco froze. He had not fully considered what these people might think of him. “Erm, yes sir.”

The blonde’s hand was squeezed more tightly, before he let it go. “Well. I am glad you have seen reason.”

Draco couldn’t help himself from looking at Hermione and saying softly “Trust me sir, I am as well.”

Hermione’s mother saw the way her daughter was looking back at him and asked “Is there something we should know Hermione?”

“Draco is my boyfriend.” She tried to sound calm, but her nerves were shining through. Her look of fear only increased when her mother began to laugh and her father began to curse. Draco slowly backed away.

Hermione snatched his hand before he could get too far away. “Mum?” she asked tentatively.

Her mother continued to grin. “Oh my dears, you have done well. I have thought for years that this would happen! Of course, your father disagreed, so we put some money on it. You two have just one me a hundred quid! Today is a wonderful day, is it not?”

The brunette just shook her head and held on to Draco’s hand, encouraging him to sit down in front of her on the bed.

Hermione’s dad gave Draco a stern look. “Look, although I’m unhappy to lose a bit of money, I am delighted to see my daughter smile the way she is right now. Should you ever break her heart, let me promise you that I will show you all the ways a muggle can harm someone as high and mighty as yourself.”

Draco smiled, “Yes, I have gotten that a lot. You have my word that I won’t ever intentionally harm Hermione.”

Hermione’s father nodded. “I am glad to hear it. Now, if you don’t mind, the two of you need to head out and get some sleep. It’s been a long day for all of us.” Hermione nodded, hugged her parents each again, and stood up from the bed. “Oh, and Draco,” her father added as they approached the door. Draco turned. “Thank you, for bringing our memories back, and for being there for Hermione when we couldn’t be.”

“I was happy to, sir.” Draco replied, took Hermione’s hand, and Apparated to their home.

~

Once home, Hermione let herself be wrapped in her boyfriends arms. Too, tired to do much else, they went to bed, where Hermione was held by strong arms. She thanked Draco for about the one hundredth time, he kissed her forehead.

“It’s the least I could do for the women I love.” Although he tried to sound calm, Hermione could here a hint of uncertainty in his voice. These were still new words for him to say to her. He still worried that she would change her mind and push him away, that she wouldn’t love him back.

She pulled away rather quickly, and pressed their foreheads together. She closed her eyes. “I love you. It scares me how much I love you.” She placed a hand behind his head, and pulled him in for another kiss, more heated than the last.

Eventually they pulled apart again, and lay down together. “I never imagined myself like this,” Draco said softly, so Hermione had to strain to hear.

“Like what,” she questioned.

“Happy and loved by someone so amazing.”

Hermione tightened her arms around him. “Get used to it.” she whispered.

Draco grinned at her. “Never. You will always keep amazing me.” and then they slept.

~

The next morning, Hermione visited her parents. They spoke for hours about all they had missed, and mourned the loss of people they hadn’t known well, but liked very much all the same. They spoke about Draco and Harry and many of Hermione’s other friends. Mostly, her parents just wanted to know everything about Hermione herself. They felt they had missed so much, and they wanted to be there for her, even if it was too late to protect her from harm.

When Hermione finally returned home, she was surprised to see both Ron and Draco sitting in their lounge. Draco rose first, and lead her into their kitchen. “How are your parents?” he asked.

“They are just fine.” She couldn’t help but smile, even though she didn’t fully relax yet, “What is Ronald doing here?” 

“Straight to the point then. He’s not here to cause more drama. I made sure of that, but I’ll let him say the rest for himself.” He grinned, “Don’t worry, if he pulls anything, we can have some more fun kicking him out of our home again.” They smiled at each other, then Draco gave her a peck on the cheek and then directed her back into the lounge, where an extremely nervous looking Ron stood up.

“Hermione, I need to apologize to you.”

“Yes you do.” Hermione said, not giving in to her friend.

“I was a complete ass, and I am sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said, and when you told us that you trust Malf— I mean Draco, that should have been enough for me. I was being a jealous asshole.”

“Yes, you were.” Hermione cut in.

“I know,” Ron continued. “I wasn’t thinking, but I have been since then.” He paused, and seemed to be collecting himself. “I miss my best friend. I want her back, and not as anything more than friends. I saw how you and Malfoy look at each other. Fuck, I mean Draco. When you look at him, anyone can see that you share something with him. I have never seen you look at anyone like that, with so many emotions. You have definitely never looked at me like that, not even when we might have been…”

“Ron, I love him. And I love you as well, but only as my best friend.” 

Ron nodded. “I know, that’s my point. I want someone to look at me with that much love. I finally get that it won’t be you and me, and I want someone. What I want most, though, is to be able to talk to my best friend, no matter what. I have missed you.”

Hermione walked towards Ron, and gave him a hug. “I’ve missed you too, even if you are an idiot.” They stood like that for a couple moments before Hermione pulled away. “Did you apologize to Draco?” 

Ron nodded. “Properly?” Hermione questioned further.

“He did, Hermione.” Draco’s voice came from behind her. Hermione stepped away from Ron nodding.

“Good. Thank you for coming Ron. Maybe we’ll come for dinner some time, if your family also shares your opinion. If not, we can go out with Harry and Ginny.”

“Mum still isn’t a fan of the idea of her pseudo daughter dating Draco Malfoy, but Ginny and I are working on it. Let’s go out with the Harry though, that way Ginny might stop bothering me about it.”

“That would be nice.” Hermione said.

Draco rubbed his hair with slight discomfort. “Would it, um, be possible to go somewhere in the muggle world? I don’t like being in the news. Malfoy don’t tend to do well there.” 

Hermione smiled and nodded, and though Ron looked shocked at Draco’s changed behaviour, he didn’t mention it, instead, he simply agreed.

Hermione was glad to see her friends returning to their rightful place in her life. She smiled. Life was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience on this one. Hope you enjoy. Here are some fun facts to make you smile for a little:  
> \- There's a town in Norway called Hell. It freezes almost every winter  
> \- There is no Alpha in a wild wolf pack, sorry to disappoint those who love A/P/O dynamics  
> \- Bubble wrap was originally intended to be used as wallpaper  
> \- A single cloud can weight more than 1 million pounds
> 
> Have a great day, I hope you enjoyed this (slightly short) chapter. The last one will be an epilogue that will be pretty short and I hope to get out soon. Who knows though. It might be a while.


	13. Epilogue

Draco and Hermione stood side by side looking up at the grand castle in front of them. It was two years to the day since the battle of Hogwarts had taken place, and the castle appeared whole and full of life. The school was full of students, and on this day, full of survivors of the war as well. Hogwarts had created a memorial for those who died during the horrible battle, and once a year, invited anyone who wished to come visit the site for a memorial service. Both Draco and Hermione felt intensely uncomfortable being back at Hogwarts, and found it difficult to see past the horrors that had occurred there.

Draco clutched Hermione’s hand. “Are you ready?” he asked, knowing that they were sharing many emotions towards the day’s activities. Hermione only nodded, and began to walk up to the castle. The path was full of their peers and parents, each wanting to show their respects. Upon seeing Hermione, many were awestruck, and wanted to speak to her. Draco was mostly ignored. When he and Hermione were first announcing that they were a couple, Draco was frequently verbally attacked, but in time people had come to realize that he was genuine, and everyone backed off. 

Ron had kept his word to try to bring the other Weasley’s around, and in time he had succeeded. Hermione and Draco endured many awkward dinners before finally, Arthur had sat Draco down, threatened him with a rubber duck, and welcomed him into their home. Since then, Weasley dinners were a monthly occurrence enjoyed by all. Draco quickly spotted a mop of messy black hair and a red haired woman beside him. 

Harry smiled slightly at the pair, and asked them to stand beside him in front of the memorial. The name of all those who had lost their lives were carved into a large stone pillar. It was simple, yet beautiful as it was covered in blooming flowers. Many young students, who didn’t fully understand the harms of the war kept their distance, while older students and staff walked right up to the pillar to touch the names of the loved ones they had lost. Many lay out photographs of their loved ones, or brought their own flowers People greeted one another and tried to smile despite the tragedy they were remembering.

Draco and Hermione stuck close together through all the pleasantries and speeches, before approaching the pilar for themselves. Draco frowned, as he looked around the pillar and read the names. “So many people died and it seems so senseless.” And then he froze. He had reached the part of the pillar that Hermione and Harry had fought the most for. The fallen death eaters were listed on the pillar. He looked at Hermione, who griped his hand tighter. “How?”

Hermione smiled “Harry and I thought it was important, so we fought for it.” Draco looked completely lost. The brunette turned to face him head on, and took his other hand. “Every life lost was a tragedy, no matter what side they were on. We need to remember that violence against anyone is not alright. We need to recognize that we can always find better ways to reply than with violence. Death is a tragedy, always”.

Draco pulled her into a hug and whispered “Thank you” into her hair. 

Soon after they returned home to their cozy home where they had built their new lives. They had everything they needed right there. They had their fireplace and beautiful kitchen, their comfortable bed and their shelves full of books and TV shows. They had their photo in that old broken picture frame that Hermione had used as a Portkey the day the war ended. But most importantly they had each other. They had someone who understood them and who they could turn to on the days when life seemed more difficult than ever. Hermione had her career speaking up for muggle rights and occasionally being a liaison for young wizards and witches who wanted to live as muggles, and muggleborn families who needed to be guided into the wizarding world. Meanwhile, Draco had been continuing to research finding a cure for both memory loss and individuals who had been tortured under the cruciatus curse. And everyday, the pair would return home to the other. No matter how good or bad their days had been, they were there for each other. And what else really mattered?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! My first fanfic is done so thanks for your support! I hope you have enjoyed this. And now some awesome Canadian facts in honour of Canada 150 coming up soon!  
> \- The Canadian Royal Mint created a coin with the face value of $1 Million. The coin itself is made of 99.99% gold and weighs over 220 lbs.  
> \- We have overpasses just for wildlife  
> \- We have a shit ton of dinosaur fossils and 60% of polar bears  
> \- Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, and Wolverine are all from Canada. (to name but a few)  
> \- We have a shit ton of dinosaur fossils and 60% of polar bears  
> That's all I've got!


End file.
